Political Quotes

“I wish to engage with my friend in a bit of a colloquy here. I listened to the Senator from Texas, Senator Cornyn--who is working to try to solve these problems--lament the fact that Democrats in the House would not go along with the Republican version of this emergency appropriation. So I went back and I asked my staff to detail--and my friend did that. I want to make sure that he agrees with what I think basically was in there: First of all, a change in the 2008 law that President George W. Bush signed, written by Senator Feinstein and others--quite bipartisan--to treat these children with human dignity and ascertain that in fact they had a real problem. If they didn't have a real problem, send them back home; and if they did have a real problem, make sure they were safe here. So that was in there. Then, as my friend said, the National Guard piece was in there. Now, what is really interesting is these children are coming over, and they are saying to the Border Patrol: Take me. So I don't mind having the National Guard at the border if we really have to defend, et cetera. I have come after that in the past. But it just seems to me--and my friend made the point--it is one thing to put Border Patrol on and it is another thing to send down the military to face off with these children. The other thing is, of course, they strip down the money dramatically so that these kids may well have to remain in some of the worst conditions in these customs facilities.…”