Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this conference agreement-- bipartisan and bicameral--averting a second reckless Trump shutdown. This legislation represents the best possible deal to responsibly fund our government and secure our border, while holding true to our values as Americans. This agreement denies the President billions of dollars for an unnecessary wall. It includes a number of provisions to hold the administration accountable. And it boosts funding for humanitarian support for migrants, alternatives to detention, and family case management. The bipartisan agreement also includes six additional appropriations bills beyond Homeland Security. For example, the Transportation-HUD bill, on which Chairman Diaz-Balart and I worked cooperatively for many months, is included in this package. It increases the Trump budget for infrastructure by $23 billion, and it includes investments that were totally eliminated in the Trump budget: community development block grants, the HOME program, New Starts for transit, and the BUILD program. All these are made whole, having been, of course, eliminated in that earlier Trump budget. These six bills were all caught up in the Trump shutdown. They are now salvaged by this agreement. The deal is not perfect. We know that. But it represents the best way to reject the President's outrageous border demand, keep our government open, and address our pressing national needs. Mr.…”