Political Quotes

“Mr. President, picking up where I left off, I don't think we, Congress, need to micromanage this process. We don't need congressional enforcement officers, so to speak. Rather, we need to spell out the goals, the priorities for border and port security which this bill does. We need to give the Department of Homeland Security the tools, skills, resources, and flexibility it needs to get this job done, which this bill also does. Then we need to let DHS do its job while at the same time continuing to provide responsible and robust oversight, not just here from Washington but along the border itself. That is why now in my Committee on Homeland Security that is what my colleagues and I will want to do to be sure this bill is implemented strongly and effectively. Still, as strong as our border defenses have become and despite how much stronger this bill will make them, we cannot defend our Nation entirely at the border. One of our witnesses earlier this year noted that we often look to our borders to solve problems that originate elsewhere. In other words, we are so preoccupied with the symptoms we are missing the underlying causes which can make finding a solution all the more difficult. We have to address the root causes that are drawing people to our country illegally in order to fully secure our borders and ensure we are not embroiled in the same debate 20 years from now.…”