Strengthening America's Security in the Middle East Act of 2019--Motion

Floor Speech

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Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I was just listening and paying close attention to my colleague from Alaska describing the uselessness and the misery march of a government shutdown, particularly one that has lasted longer than any one that has occurred over the history of this country. I couldn't agree more, and I associate myself with her comments, having had many conversations, as many of us have, with our TSA agents and with our Coast Guard--yes, West Virginia has a Coast Guard presence; I would like to emphasize that--with our prison guards and others who have had just foisted upon them, through no fault of their own, some very difficult decisions and sleepless nights, I am sure.

So while we want to celebrate, there is really little cause to celebrate. I think it is more of a breath of fresh air or a deep sigh of relief. Probably, in the minds of the veterans whom I was with at the Martinsburg Medical Center this morning, it is a deep breath and: Well, no kidding. Let's get back to the business of governing and making decisions and making good decisions for the country.

I chair the Subcommittee on Homeland Security in the Senate as part of the Appropriations Committee. I am very pleased that the President has made this announcement that our leaders, both Senator McConnell and Senator Schumer, have come together with a commonsense, breathable solution to give us some space to work through what we call here regular order. For people listening who don't understand what that is, it is what we should be doing every day, where I sit down as the chair of the committee, with Senator Tester from Montana, who is the ranking member on the committee, and other members of the committee, and we work things out. I want this, and he wants this. Well, maybe pick in the middle, or maybe I will give you this if you give me that.

So I look forward, with the bold leadership of Senator Shelby and Senator Leahy, as chair and ranking member of the full committee, and the leadership, certainly, of our leaders, with the President, to working out a good solution here.

I firmly believe that border security is important. That is reflected in the bill we passed out of our subcommittee that the Chair and the Senator from Tennessee both voted on in the full committee. We had 10 Democrats who voted for that bill, which had border security, a pedestrian fence, wall, technology, and the polar security cutter for our Coast Guard, which is something very important to Alaska and the Arctic and to us as Americans for our safety, and a lot of very reflective priorities in there for the rest of the country.

We can't lose sight that homeland security is more than about one structure or the one placement of a structure. It is about a full-out array of ways of looking at protecting our country internally, in our transportation sector, in our energy sectors, and in others.

While it sounds like a steep mountain, I embrace this. I embrace the ability to play a role and to find a reasonable solution, and we have been granted until February 15 to work this out. With that, I have rolled up my sleeves. I am getting ready to go to work with many, many others here in this body and across the way and at the White House.

To the American people, I agree that shutdowns are useless. They are painful. Nobody wins. The big discussion is, Who is winning here? It is pretty clear the American people aren't winning, and in the end, I don't think anybody is winning.

With that, I yield my time, and look forward to getting to work and to finding the right solution.

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