Political Quotes

“I rise today to express serious concern about reports in the press that the administration is considering deep cuts in funding to crucial aspects of our Nation's national security and our homeland security to pay for the construction of a border wall and also for a crackdown on illegal immigration. The first target that alarmed me was America's maritime guardian, the U.S. Coast Guard. Even as the administration says it plans to secure the borders and increase funding for our military by $54 billion, which, in fact, may be a good thing, it is reportedly considering cuts on the nondefense side--and that includes the Department of Homeland Security--with a cut of $1.3 billion, or 12 percent, to the very military service that secures our vast maritime borders, and that is the Coast Guard. That plan just doesn't make any sense, especially when it comes to securing our borders. You would be putting a bunch of money in a wall, but you are losing the security of the border over here on the oceans. The 42,000 member-strong Coast Guard plays a vital role in protecting our Nation from narcoterrorism, combating human smuggling, preventing and responding to maritime environmental disasters, and protecting lives and property at sea. By the way, in other foreign parts of the globe, the U.S. Coast Guard is assisting the U.S. military in our military operations.…”