Tom Tiffany: “This amendment is very similar to the prior amendment. It prohibits the expenditure of funds to extend temporary…”

“This amendment is very similar to the prior amendment. It prohibits the expenditure of funds to extend temporary protected status, in this case to nationals from Honduras. That ``T'' in TPS is important because it stands for ``temporary.'' In the case of Honduras, this temporary designation was issued in response to a hurricane. When did that hurricane make landfall, you might ask? It was in October of 1998. Bill Clinton was in the White House, gasoline was $1.05 per gallon, Microsoft had just replaced General Electric as America's most valuable company, and the first BlackBerry wouldn't hit store shelves for another year. Yet this temporary amnesty continues. Like El Salvador, conditions in Honduras have improved. The country elected a new President in 2022, completing a peaceful transfer of power. Honduras also has an active tourism industry, marketing ziplining, visits to U.N. World Heritage sites, world-class scuba diving, and some of the Caribbean's best beaches and all-inclusive resorts. If Honduras is safe enough to welcome millions of tourists each year, isn't it safe enough to welcome Hondurans back home? Mr. Chair, it is time to put the ``T'' back in TPS. TPS was never intended to be the ``Hotel California'' that says illegal aliens can check in anytime but they can never leave. Mr. Chair, I ask for a ``yes'' vote on the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.”