[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 27, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H2241-H2242]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         EMERGENCY DECLARATION

  (Mr. DesJARLAIS asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DesJARLAIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support President 
Trump's declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border.
  Sophisticated cartels--some of the most dangerous criminals and 
terrorist organizations in the world--are partnering with foreign 
adversaries, including Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, and China smuggling 
drugs, as well as human beings, into our country.
  Mexican cartels produce or distribute the most heroin, fentanyl, 
cocaine, and methamphetamine here, killing tens of thousands of 
Americans annually.
  My constituents are suffering from the opioid epidemic.
  MS-13 and other violent gangs have infiltrated recent migrant 
caravans; however, the equivalent of a migrant caravan crosses the 
border almost weekly.
  These forces are destabilizing and deadly to people on both sides, 
particularly for the less fortunate among us.
  Under legal authority Congress has granted the executive branch--
which Barack Obama also used to combat cartels and illegal 
immigration--the President, the power to declare a national emergency 
to fund construction of the new border barriers at dangerous weak 
points.
  As a fiscal conservative, constitutionalist, and strong advocate for 
the

[[Page H2242]]

military, I believe the need is clear and pressing, the law supports 
immediate action, and ample funding exists to address this crisis.

                          ____________________