Vote Against Border Security

Floor Speech

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Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, yesterday's vote against commonsense border security is a sad commentary on the misguided priorities of the new majority in Congress.

Instead of working in good faith to achieve a bipartisan compromise to end the partial government shutdown and address the very real crisis at our southern border, the new Democrat House leadership signaled that all they really want to do is to continue their fight with this President.

By totally dismissing what career professionals at the Department of Homeland Security have said, that they actually need to impede the flow of criminals, gangs, human traffickers, and drug dealers into our country, the new leadership has signaled to the country that the new majority has been co-opted by the most extreme and hyperpartisan voices of the far left who are so far outside the mainstream and are so blinded by their animosity toward this President that they have become willing to place the interests of illegal immigrants ahead of the interests of the American people.

They would rather turn a blind eye to lawlessness. They would rather compromise public safety and allow criminal gangs and drugs to flood across our borders than even negotiate with this President.

In their meeting with the White House earlier this week, the Democrats refused to even listen to a briefing of the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security about the threats we face from an unsecured border.

This is a matter of national security. It is time for Congress to put the safety of the American people over open borders and political games.

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