Providing for Consideration of H.R. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, and Providing for Consideration of H. Res. Authorizing Committee on the Judiciary to Initiate or Intervene in Judicial Proceedings to Enforce Certain Subpoenas

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this rule. The rule demonstrates once again that the Democrat majority refuses to acknowledge, accept, or address the very real crisis at our southern border.

New numbers recently came out illustrating the magnitude of the crisis. CBP detained more than 144,000 migrants in the month of May. This was the third consecutive month when we had in excess of 100,000 migrants detained at the border: 101,000 in March, 109,000 in April, and 144,000 in May. We are on track to apprehend over 1 million migrants this fiscal year, approximately the population of Austin, Texas.

Smugglers and cartels continue to preach that now is the time to come to the United States. They call children ``permisos,'' or permits, and exploit them to get scores of adults unrelated to the children across the border.

These criminal organizations run an international smuggling operation filled with misery and abuse. Migrants who survive the smugglers often arrive in poor health, physically exhausted, and in need of urgent medical care.

The men and women of CBP are doing the best they can to respond to this humanitarian crisis, but they have run out of space to safely house and process the unprecedented numbers of family units seeking entry into the United States. In the next couple of weeks, Health and Human Services will run out of funds to feed and shelter the vulnerable unaccompanied children.

Four weeks ago, the President and Congress sent an urgent request for supplemental appropriations to address this crisis. Ranking Member Granger and I filed an amendment to the minibus which would have provided the $4.5 billion requested by the President.

It would have replenished critical funds needed to feed and shelter migrant families and unaccompanied children. It would have provided urgent medical care and transportation services, and it would pay the growing cost of overtime for the men and women of DHS working on the front lines of this crisis.

Unfortunately, for the third time in the last month, the majority refused to make our amendment in order. Democrats haven't approved a dime for this crisis.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Because of the political dysfunction in their own Caucus, they stubbornly refuse to put forward any solutions. It has gotten to the point where editorial boards in some of the Nation's most liberal cities are now calling Democrats out for their inaction.

Democrats need to stop denying the facts and blaming the President for this crisis. The time has come to face reality and work with the President and Republicans in Congress to immediately resolve this humanitarian crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to defeat the previous question on this rule. If we do that, we can finally bring this critically needed supplemental funding to the House for a vote.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source