Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise to speak about my amendment to H.R. 549, which grants temporary protected status, or TPS, for Venezuelans from Nicolas Maduro's oppressive regime and reforms the broken TPS program. I would like to thank my friends, Senator Marco Rubio and Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, who have been tireless advocates for the Venezuelan people as we fight for freedom in Latin America and across the globe. I am proud to have worked with Senator Rubio, along with my colleague from Utah, Senator Lee, and other Republican Senators to offer protection for the Venezuelan people while making necessary reforms to TPS. The crisis in Venezuela is a defining human rights issue of our time. Maduro is starving his own people, and innocent children are dying. What is happening in Venezuela is pure genocide. We have to act, but we also need to be responsible. The courts have basically made a temporary program permanent, which is not sustainable. My amendment protects the vulnerable Venezuelan population while making sure that human rights violators are clearly identified as ineligible to come to the United States. My bill grants TPS for Venezuelans right now. The amendment also makes much-needed reforms to our TPS program. The amendment grants TPS to Venezuelans for 18 months. It requires congressional approval for TPS extensions, no more than 18 months at a time. My amendment limits the ability of illegal aliens with no connection to the TPS designation to benefit from TPS.…”