Border Act of 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, for years, our Republican colleagues have insisted that the only real long-term solution to fixing the southern border was for Congress to pass legislation. We Democrats agree: Congress must act. We need to fix the border and reform immigration to make it fairer and more humane.

This week, Republicans will have an opportunity to join us in taking action. A few moments ago, I filed cloture on the motion to proceed to the bipartisan Border Act, the same bill negotiated 3 months ago by the bipartisan group of Senators Murphy, Sinema, and Lankford.

The Senate will vote on this bipartisan border bill on Thursday. Last night, the President called both Leader McConnell and Speaker Johnson and urged them to go forward with our bill. All those who say we need to act on the border will get a chance this week to show they are serious about fixing the problem.

Unlike H.R. 2, the bipartisan Border Act was written explicitly to win support from both parties with input--significant input--from both sides. The Border Act is an exercise in legislating; H.R. 2 is not.

When Republicans pushed H.R. 2, it couldn't even get a single Democratic vote here in the Senate, much less all Senate Republicans, for that matter. That was not a serious bill. What we are voting on this week is serious.

It is the same bipartisan bill both sides negotiated for months last winter. It is the same bill endorsed by the National Border Patrol Council, a very conservative group; by the Chamber of Commerce; and by the very conservative Wall Street Journal editorial page.

By any objective measure, it is strong and realistic, and, most importantly, a bipartisan proposal. If our bipartisan bill was good enough to win the support of the union that represents border agents, why isn't it good enough for Senate Republicans? Are Senate Republicans saying they know better than our agents patrolling the border? I hope that is not true. I hope our Republican colleagues are ready to join us.

I will be clear: We don't expect every Democrat or every Republican to come out in favor of this bill. That is why, as I have said before, the only way to pass this bill or any border bill is with broad bipartisan support.

If you go by what Republicans said over the last few months, you would think they would leap at an opportunity like the one we have right now. In the words of Speaker Johnson, ``The time to act on [the border] is yesterday.'' In the words of my colleague from Texas, ``It makes no sense to me for us to do nothing when we might be able to make things better.'' And in the words of my colleague from South Carolina, ``To those who think that if President Trump wins . . . that we can get a better deal--you won't.'' And he added, ``This moment will pass. Do not let it pass.''

Well, I wholeheartedly agree. We should not let this moment pass. Border legislation is just about the hardest thing Congress ever wrestles with. Bipartisan border bills are rare opportunities here in Congress. That is precisely why we have it in front of us this week. I urge everyone not to let the politics get in the way.

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