Barbara Lee: “I can't even imagine the dire straits that would lead me to send my child on their own on a perilous journey to face an…”

“I can't even imagine the dire straits that would lead me to send my child on their own on a perilous journey to face an uncertain situation at the United States border. No one does that willingly or without exhausting every other alternative. I have been to the border many times. I was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, a border town. I talk to everyone I meet and ask them about the circumstances and why they left their homes. Ninety-nine percent said they did not want to leave where they lived. No one wants to leave their homes. For this amendment to suggest that countries are intentionally sending their youth away or that somehow this desperation would be improved by taking away the education, anticorruption, or nutrition programming that this assistance pays for is ignorant at best and cynical at worst. The gentleman's amendment cut three times the assistance we provide to Guatemala. That is three times for the last full programming year. It cuts double the assistance for Honduras and Guatemala. It is un- implementable, and it is really very cynical and dangerous. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time. {time} 2015”