We have taken swift and decisive action indeed to start changing a culture that took decades to develop.

I please ask you to be brief, because then I have a specific question for Admiral Lee.

I have repeatedly called on the President and senior Federal law enforcement officers to establish a U.S.-Caribbean Border Initiative.

Imagine for a moment that this spike in violence were taking place in Florida. Does anyone seriously believe that Federal law enforcement agencies within DHS and DOJ would continue to conduct business as usual rather than surging resources…

We cannot win without the active involvement of the Federal Government to secure all of our Nation's borders.

Nothing has been done about it. That is the bottom line here.

This is not about funding a program. This is about saving American lives.

We need help in fighting this battle along the Caribbean Border, so that we do not have to fight these drug criminals on the streets of our States.

The number of drug-related homicides in Puerto Rico in recent years would be considered a national emergency if it were occurring in any State.

Violent crime in Puerto Rico and the neighboring U.S. Virgin Islands has been on the rise since 2000, even though violent crime nationwide has decreased substantially during that same time period. Puerto Rico's homicide rate is about six…

I thank the majority, and I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Puerto Rico (Mr. Pierluisi). The amendment was agreed to. Amendment Offered by Mr. Sullivan

I have an amendment at the desk that was printed in the Congressional Record as Amendment No. 16. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: At the end of the bill (before the short…

I have to commend your demeanor, your patience, your decorum in appearing before us and subjecting yourself sometimes to a process that I do not believe is fair.

Shouldn't you be acting with more of a sense of urgency in this area? Please, tell me why I should feel better about this than I do.

Today I'm introducing legislation to provide equitable treatment to Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories under the TANF program, which provides cash payments to needy families with children. Currently the territories are not eligible for…

I have no further requests for time, so I will yield back the balance of my time.

I am prepared to close. We have no further speakers, so I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 4119, the Border Tunnel Protection Act of 2012. I yield back the balance of my time.

I strongly oppose the provision in this legislation that would single out the Medicaid programs in the U.S. territories for a 65 percent cut, even though the territories are already treated in a profoundly unequal manner under this…