Donald M. Payne: “I thank the ranking member, Mr. Thompson, for the opportunity to speak here today. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to…”

“I thank the ranking member, Mr. Thompson, for the opportunity to speak here today. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2. During the nearly 17 hours that the Committee on Homeland Security met to consider the border bill offered by Mr. Green, Democrats offered more than 40 amendments in order to remedy significant shortcomings in the bill. In an effort to offer new provisions to bolster operations at Customs and Border Protection and build up the fiscal year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Act, which is what was supposed to be going on, working on the budget that night, under Democratic leadership, they provide over $17 billion to CBP to not only enhance port of entry operations but also increase funding to the U.S. Border Patrol by 17 percent. All of the amendments were rejected by the committee Republicans. Instead of working with Democrats to provide bipartisan solutions to fix our broken immigration system, H.R. 2 is just a far-right, MAGA- style immigration bill advanced by Republicans that would tear at the fabric of American values and drastically limit asylum opportunities while doing nothing to create an orderly system. The xenophobia bill filed in this space of religious values that Republicans claim to live by, at best, H.R. 2 is a deeply distrustful effort to exploit irregular migration at the southwest border, which is expected to intensify with the termination of title 42 health restrictions.…”