Elijah Cummings

Let me be very clear: This is not theater. I wish it was theater. It is not theater. This is about us making sure that we protect the integrity of the Census and of this Congress. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished…

By direction of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, I call up the report (H. Rept. 116-125) to accompany the resolution recommending that the House of Representatives find William P. Barr, Attorney General of the United States, and…

DHS found that limiting the volume of asylum seekers--and here I'm quoting--entering at ports of entry leads some aliens who would otherwise seek legal entry into the United States to cross the border illegally.

I'm saying--I'm only trying to show that if you release these families they will show up.

And I want to thank you, Mr. McAleenan, for your testimony. And I know I speak for this entire committee when I thank the border personnel for the work they're doing well beyond the call of duty.

But it is still having an effect because DHS and HHS are sharing records so people are not stepping forward.

DHS was not fully prepared to implement the administration's zero-tolerance policy or to deal with some of the after-effects.

I'm not talking about people that come from, as the President said, s-h-holes. These are human beings, human beings, just trying to live a better life.

You also said this, and I quote, 'Really, it was done very effectively.'

In April of this year you gave an interview with Lester Holt at NBC. You claimed that the children you separated were, and I quote, 'always intended to be reunited.'

How much money are we spending of the American people's dollars, their hard-earned tax dollars? How much are we spending?

I was disappointed when you decided last year to ignore the request for documents that I made with Representative Meadows.

I can tell you that I'm at a point where I begin to wonder whether there is an empathy deficit, an empathy deficit.

I just think we can do better.

We are the United States of America. We are the greatest country in the world.

What I'm saying is I want to concentrate on these children, and I want to make sure that they are okay.

The deeds you do to children may very well come back to haunt us, but it will definitely haunt them.

Our diversity is not our problem; it is our promise.

I hope the White House will reconsider its position and cooperate with the committee.

I am disappointed that Ms. Conway chose to defy the committee's duly authorized subpoena for her appearance.

These documents set forth recommendations to stop separating the children from their families and unnecessary detentions and ensure we provide humane treatment to everyone in government custody.

And so help me God, I'm going to do everything in our power and work with our entire committee to try to resolve these issues as fast as we possibly can.

I can't sit here as a Member of Congress and hear about somebody possibly dying and not do what I can to save them, and I think we all feel the same way, on both sides of the aisle.

I want to look at the administration's zero tolerance policy that forced the separation of 2,800 children.

With Democrats in charge of this House, had we allowed this session to go--had we gone on recess with no more money on the border, then the blame would have been more than it already is.