On the recordJuly 23, 2015
Let me say to Chairman Goodlatte, thank you very much for your leadership on this and thanks for moving this so quickly. This is a timely bill, and I just want to thank you and your committee for moving it so quick. This legislation is about one thing. That is accountability. The American people have the right to not give their Federal tax dollars to municipalities and States that do not follow Federal law. There are lots of changes to enforcement that must be imposed on sanctuary cities, and we are going to work toward those things. This Republican Congress is going to work toward those things, just as we are putting in motion a mechanism today that holds sanctuary cities accountable. I think we can all agree that any locality must comply with the law, and they are required to coordinate and cooperate with the Federal Government. If an arrest is made, the Federal Government should be notified. The fact that San Francisco and L.A. and other cities disagree with the politics of Federal enforcement does not give them a free pass to subvert the law. If they do, there has to be consequences. The way that we impose consequences on these sanctuary cities is by hitting them where it hurts, and that is in their pocketbook. It is simple. If you don't comply with the law as it stands now, then you don't receive coveted Federal money intended for law enforcement. And that money allocated for fiscal year 2015 alone almost adds up to a billion dollars.…
