Political Quotes

“I was informed last week that the Department of Health and Human Services is considering temporarily housing unoccupied minor children at military bases throughout the United States. Six bases are under consideration to house up to 5,000 of these undocumented children. One of the bases under consideration is Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I cannot stress strongly enough my opposition to this plan. The reasons are numerous, but let me emphasize two of the most obvious: military bases are not appropriate for housing unaccompanied children, and unaccompanied children are not appropriate residents of a military base. The last Congress clearly expressed our opposition to housing unoccupied minors at military installations through the passage of H.R. 5230. Additionally, funding sufficient to meet the needs at the southern border was provided just a few weeks ago in the passage of the fiscal year 2016 omnibus spending bill. Mr. Speaker, it is neither compassionate to the children, nor in the country's best interests for national defense, to house these children at Grand Forks or any other military installation. I urge the administration to find a more appropriate solution to the crisis at our southern border. ____________________”