Veronica Escobar

I have the incredible privilege of representing Fort Bliss here in Congress.

Since my time as a local elected official in El Paso... I have been working to help our community leverage the talent at UTEP.

I see this request as the Department's first step toward modernizing Fort Bliss.

The El Paso VA is critical, not only to veterans in El Paso, but veterans in Southern New Mexico and much of West Texas.

I would respectfully ask the subcommittee to support the President's fiscal year 2023 budget request for the final $550,000,000.

I would like to thank the subcommittee for allocating $150,000,000 for this project in the fiscal year 2022 omnibus.

I have advocated for Fort Bliss' infrastructure needs with senior Department of Defense leadership.

I would like to begin by first thanking the subcommittee for the $900,000 increase allocated in the fiscal year 2022 omnibus for the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission.

This subcommittee has played a critical role in helping communities like mine overcome the many issues the COVID-19 pandemic has presented us over the past 2 years.

I have the honor of representing El Paso, Texas, in Congress, and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be advocating for the needs of my community.

Governor Abbot has engaged in all sorts of antics that have shut down the border.

To those who are, let it be absolutely clear that the majority of my Republican colleagues are showing you the American people that they are not interested in addressing our country's challenges.

I apologize to you, your family and your staff for the sickening, breathtakingly xenophobic political theater that has occurred at this hearing.

Congress is not doing its job, loves to point the finger, loves to shirk from its responsibility.

Their strategy is don't reform outdated immigration laws and only deter at the border. Hasn't worked.

The best thing Congress can do today right now to help alleviate some of the horrors of human trafficking is pass immigration reform.

Obviously when you cut off legal pathways... immigrants and refugees will seek irregular pathways making them vulnerable to human traffickers.

It is clear that the policies championed by my Republican colleagues... have actually fueled human trafficking.

I am the only Member of Congress on this Committee who actually represents a border community.

I wish we could all recognize that failure and the opportunity.

Addressing migration at the border and only at the border really is a signal of failure.

The truth is this is complicated. It is not easy.

I am proud to uplift the voice of my community, which has always engaged with migrants in the spirit of goodwill.

I have filed legislation to designate Castner Range a national monument in the hopes that it can at some point be utilized for trails and for educational opportunities for young people.

One of the issues my office has heard about from staff and leadership at William Beaumont Army Medical Center is how hard it has been to find civilian nurses.