[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 1 (Thursday, January 3, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S17]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                GOVERNMENT FUNDING AND NATIONAL SECURITY

  Mr. THUNE. Madam President, as we begin a new Congress, it is always 
an exciting time. There are a lot of families and friends here. Our 
Members and colleagues were sworn in earlier today. It represents a new 
beginning--obviously, a time when there is hope and optimism that we 
can come together and do some good things for the people we represent 
in our respective States and for our country. That is the way we 
approach this new session of Congress.
  There is a lot I think we can do. We can find some common ground and 
work together. Obviously, we have to deal with the issues of last 
year's business before we can start this business of this new year.
  Last year's business is incomplete. We are almost 2 weeks into a 
partial government shutdown because Democrats don't want to fund 
increased security for the border. Border security is a national 
security requirement. Every Member of Congress, Democrat or Republican, 
should take seriously our responsibility to protect our Nation by 
ensuring that our borders are secure. At one time Democrats understood 
that.
  In 2006, the Democratic leader and the ranking member of the Senate 
Judiciary Committee voted for legislation to authorize a border fence. 
They were joined in that vote by then-Senators Biden, Clinton, and 
Obama. In 2013, every Senate Democrat supported legislation requiring 
the completion of a 700-mile fence along our southern border. This 
legislation would have provided $46 billion for border security and $8 
billion specifically for the wall.
  Nearly every Senate Democrat supported $25 billion in border security 
funding just last February--just recently, less than 1 year ago. Yet 
today, Democrats would rather keep part of the government shut down 
than provide the money needed to secure our borders. The question is, 
What has changed?
  Our national security situation certainly hasn't changed. Our borders 
are not sufficiently secure, and as we have seen, they are a target for 
illegal entry. Over the past year, illegal border crossing 
apprehensions have shot up by more than 30 percent. The holes in our 
border security leave us susceptible to illegal entry by gang members, 
human traffickers, drug dealers, terrorists, and weapons traffickers. 
The Democrats are refusing to budge on sorely needed border security 
funding. Why? I think that is a fair question.
  It is, I think, because Democrats are reluctant to oppose the far-
left wing of their party, which increasingly seems to be advancing this 
preposterous notion that we really don't need to secure our borders at 
all. Every nation has to secure its borders. A country without borders 
really isn't a country. Preventing dangerous individuals and goods from 
entering is an essential part of every country's security, and as my 
Democratic colleagues have proved in the past, they know this, which is 
why they voted that way in previous sessions of Congress, as recently 
as last year.
  I hope they will think better of this government shutdown and decide 
that their national security obligations are more important than 
catering to the far-left wing of their party. It is time to fund our 
border security and to end this shutdown. It simply requires sides to 
come together to find that common ground and to do what is in our 
country's best interests and the best interests of the American people; 
that is, to make sure that our country has a secure border and that we 
discourage people from coming here illegally and encourage them to come 
through legal means.
  I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago in my State of South 
Dakota to welcome into our State and country 99 new citizens from 33 
countries around the world. They came here the legal way. They went 
through the process and followed our rules, followed our laws. That is 
what we want to encourage more of.
  What we don't need more of are people coming into this country 
illegally and presenting the types of threats I mentioned earlier--
anytime we have that many people, in a mass way, migrating across our 
border. I hope and sincerely believe that as a Congress, as a Senate 
working with this President--who has made this a big priority for his 
administration--it is an important priority for our country and a 
requirement and obligation that I think we all have as U.S. Senators, 
first and foremost, to protect our country and to protect the American 
people. If we don't get that right, the rest is really just 
conversation.
  I hope the Democrats will come to the conclusion that their 
statements in the past and their votes in the past in support of border 
security are the right way to proceed and will continue in that 
tradition we have had in the country in the past in which, on these 
important issues, both sides come together and work to find common 
ground.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Boozman). The majority leader.

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