On the recordFebruary 26, 2015
I believe this debate over the funding for the Department of Homeland Security represents a pivotal moment in the history of the United States because it will, I think, determine whether or not we will continue to be a nation of laws and whether or not we will preserve the American Republic left to us by our Founders. I always remember that as Benjamin Franklin left the Constitutional Convention, a woman asked him: What kind of government have you given us, Dr. Franklin? And he said: A republic--if you can keep it. My hero and mentor, Thomas Jefferson, always said that a government was republican only in proportion to the extent that it embodied the will of the people. This past November, the people of the United States decisively and overwhelmingly rejected the policies of Barack Obama and the Democrat Party. President Obama said: I am not on the ballot, but my policies are. And the country spoke decisively and with one voice from coast to coast and said: We are done. We want our elected officials to enforce the law. We want our borders secure. We want to ensure that America maintains its supremacy around the world. We want our American economy to continue to grow. We want the government out of our lives, out of our way, out of our pocket, and off our backs. We have done this in Texas so successfully over the years.…
