Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I rise to speak today in favor of the McCain amendment and the Cornyn amendment. I am cosponsor of both of these…”

“I rise to speak today in favor of the McCain amendment and the Cornyn amendment. I am cosponsor of both of these amendments. The border State Senators have worked together, particularly in light of the escalating violence that is happening on the other side of the border with Mexico. It has particularly hit Texas and Arizona. So Senator McCain and Senator Kyl and Senator Cornyn and I have repeatedly asked for reinforcements to support controlling our border. I certainly hope we will be able to agree to these amendments--which are fully paid for, I might add. They will not add to the deficit. But it is so important that we have as a priority in this country the control of the borders of our sovereign Nation. We cannot allow the illegal activity and the unspeakable violence to continue along our shared border. Ten thousand people have been killed in Mexico in drug cartel-related violence, many of them police officers and law enforcement officials, just this year; 2,000 over the last 3 or 4 years. It is escalating.”