On the recordFebruary 14, 2019
I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support this bipartisan agreement which, while not perfect, keeps our government open and funds many essential, crucial needs. It also passes sound policy, like one preventing our government from using asylum-seeking children to be used as bait to arrest immigrants seeking to sponsor them. I urge all Members to vote for this important compromise. However, I cannot stay silent on the President's threat to declare a national emergency to pay for his boondoggle of a border wall. This lawless end-run around Congress is a craven act built on lies and distraction. The President would steal funds we use to support our brave young soldiers just to pay for an ancient monument to waste. Rather than own up to his lie that Mexico would pay for it, Trump would degrade our national security to try to steal his way to his totem to vanity and hate. Will Trump ever look our soldiers and veterans in the eye and tell them that it is they who will pay for the wall of waste? Of course not. If this President wants to compromise our military with this tin-pot authoritarian tactic, he is going to have to come through this Congress to do it. I urge my colleagues to vote for this agreement and reject Trump's big national emergency lie. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President.
