Sen. Inhofe Introduces English Amendment on Senate Floor

U.S. English, Inc. praises introduction of “national language” amendment

Sen. James Inhofe today introduced an amendment that would make English the national language of the United States and reduce the entitlement to multilingual services. The amendment, offered to the comprehensive immigration reform legislation currently pending in the Senate, declares that there is no affirmative right to receive services in languages other than English, except where required by federal law. Last year, the Senate approved a similar amendment by Sen. Inhofe by a bi-partisan vote of 62-35.

“I applaud Sen. Inhofe for beginning the assimilation and immigration discussion by introducing an amendment on which Americans agree – making English the national language of the United States,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English, Inc. “Americans have spoken loud and clear, they are unhappy with the existing assimilation policy in the United States, and they are even more disappointed with the bill currently in front of the Senate. The Inhofe Amendment is a proper starting point to modifying this bill for the benefit of all Americans.”

Official English measures have long been popular with the public and those elected to serve in Congress. For nearly a generation, polls have found support for making English the official language among four-fifths of the population, including a 2006 Rasmussen poll which pegged the rate at 85 percent. Among the Hispanic population, the rate of support for official English has exceeded 60 percent according to a 2006 Zogby International poll and a 2007 McLaughlin & Associates poll.

U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English, Inc. (www.usenglish.org) now has more than 1.8 million members.