Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. KING. Mr. President, it strikes me that there are really two problems before us--one we can resolve this evening or tomorrow morning or in the next 24 hours, and that is the shutdown. At least we could resolve it for a limited period of time and then start talking about the second problem, which is border security.

I think one of the unfortunate realities of what has happened in the last month is the assumption on the part of some that there was no good faith on border security and no interest in dealing with border security from this side of the aisle. That is a misunderstanding. I voted in 2013 for the largest border security provision that I think has ever come before the U.S. Senate. So did virtually every Member of this caucus and a third or more of the other caucus. Two-thirds of the Senate voted for that bill with a very important border security provision.

I want to be very clear. I am very supportive of border security and of increasing border security. There also may be cases in which there may be parts of the border at which some kind of barrier makes sense and is cost-effective; whereas, there are other areas of the border at which it doesn't make sense. What I am interested in is a thorough discussion with the experts about what the most cost-effective way is to protect our citizens and secure the border. I believe this proposal today gives us the breathing space to have that discussion.

I remind my colleagues that this administration submitted a border security proposal to the Congress last February with its budget of $1.6 billion. Lo and behold, it was approved by the Appropriations Committee and by this body. That is an indication to me that there is good faith.

I think the important thing to communicate now is to not complicate this with conditions. Let's take the awful hammer away--and I don't have to reiterate all that has been said today about the devastating effect of this shutdown on people in all of our States and on people who are working for no pay, which is fundamentally wrong--and then spend the next 3 weeks finding a solution, which I believe we can do. I have had enough discussions with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I think there is a solution to be had that will satisfy the President, the two bodies of Congress, and, most importantly, the American people in terms of the protection we can provide.

I am happy to join my colleague today in supporting this message and, importantly, to join my colleagues across the aisle. Give us breathing space. Take the problem of the shutdown away. Then we can have a discussion and a debate and find a solution through a process, which is the way it ought to be, not with a shutdown hanging over everyone. That is not the way we should be governing.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on finding a creative, cost-effective, and safe solution to this issue of border security to protect this country.

I thank the Presiding Officer.

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