Democrats are searching for alternative ways to include mass amnesty in their social spending legislation after the Senate parliamentarian advised Sunday that measures providing a pathway to citizenship for 8 million illegal immigrants could not be attached to their go-it-alone $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill.

“Last night’s ruling was extremely disappointing. It saddened me, it frustrated me, it angered me, because so many lives are at stake,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a press conference on Monday. “Make no mistake, the fight continues. Senate Democrats have prepared alternative proposals. We’ll be holding additional meetings with the parliamentarian in the coming days.”