Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, I begin by thanking the chairwoman of the full committee, Ms. Granger, for her leadership and her tireless efforts to bring these appropriation bills to the floor. I also thank the ranking member of the subcommittee, my good friend, Mr. Cuellar, who has worked with us in good faith on the bill despite some disagreements on policy. Lastly, I have enjoyed my time sitting next to the ranking member of the full committee, the gentlewoman from Connecticut, not once, but twice in the last few days. The bill before us today provides $62.8 billion for the Department of Homeland Security, an increase of $2.1 billion above the fiscal year 2023 level. In addition, the bill also includes $20.3 billion for disaster response and recovery activities, including to support communities after the devastating wildfires in Maui and Hurricane Idalia. One of the most pressing challenges this country faces is a border security crisis that has raged under the Biden administration. Two million migrants illegally crossed the border in each of the last 2 years, and we are on track for that same amount this year. Just yesterday alone, there were 11,000 migrant encounters. Let me repeat that--nearly 11,000 migrant encounters in 1 day. Regardless of your definition of border security, it is clear that the policies of this administration are not working. The reason is obvious.…”