On the recordFebruary 5, 2024
Mr. Speaker, I am so proud of my colleagues and so incredibly honored and privileged to be working alongside them toward this very noble purpose. I am so proud of my Republican colleagues, as well, and honored they are on this bill. It is a strange thing to say, but it actually takes a lot of courage for people to compromise in this place. The U.S. Congress today, unfortunately, is in some ways set up to ensure that our divisions are even more deeply rooted and that the chasm between us is made even greater. It really is up to each and every one of us to build a bridge over that chasm, to find that pathway toward unity, and to focus, really, on areas of agreement instead of areas of disagreement. It is what the American people want. It is what the American people deserve. A couple of my colleagues mentioned the trip to El Paso last weekend. Since I was elected to Congress my first year in 2019, I have brought over 25 percent of Congress--that number is probably even higher now-- to El Paso. I invite my colleagues to join me. The trips are really insightful. We don't just talk to Border Patrol agents. We actually do a very holistic evaluation and have robust conversations with everyone that a broken system touches. It helps put into perspective how complex the solution really is and how unacceptable it is that we have gone so long without addressing this solution. I am going to close with this, Mr.…





