[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 103 (Wednesday, June 19, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3808-S3809]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Border Security

  Madam President, on one final matter, as I have noted before, my 
colleagues on the Appropriations Committee will today begin marking up 
a stand-alone funding measure to address the humanitarian crisis on our 
southern border.
  By now, it can hardly be more obvious that the border crisis is 
unacceptable and unsustainable. I think all of us know perfectly well 
that immigration is a politically charged subject. Yet, surely, at a 
minimum, Congress ought to at least be able to provide these emergency 
funds. This is what my Republican colleagues and I have been saying 
over and over again for weeks.
  Remember, we are talking about money for noncontroversial purposes, 
mostly for humanitarian efforts. These are resources so that 
authorities can better accommodate the men, women, and children who 
have been turning up in record numbers on our southern border--
resources to alleviate the overcrowding in facilities and to lighten 
the untenable burden that our overstretched agencies are having to 
bear. Whatever the Senate's other disagreements--and there are, 
certainly, plenty of them--this funding, for these purposes and in the 
midst of this crisis, should be a slam dunk.
  I will not repeat here all of the facts and statistics to show why 
the status quo is so unsustainable. By now, we all know that the 
agencies along our border are running on fumes.
  The Acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection has said:

       We are at a full-blown emergency . . . The system is 
     broken.

  The Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement put it 
this way:

       We are begging. We are asking Congress to please help us.

  As I have noted several times, even the New York Times' editorial 
board has seen fit to side with the Trump administration on this issue. 
One of its two editorials on this subject was headlined: ``Congress, 
Give Trump His Border Money.''
  It has now been 50 days since President Trump submitted a request for

[[Page S3809]]

emergency aid for badly overstretched agencies. In that time, partisan 
resistance has blocked progress. At least one House Democrat from a 
border State has publicly admitted that the left flank inside his own 
caucus has been the obstacle here. Yet, here in the Senate, I think 
many of us, Republicans and Democrats alike, hope and expect that we 
can do better than that. This body can take the lead, set a better 
standard, and deliver a clear message.
  If the Appropriations Committee can approve this legislation today 
across party lines, it will be a big sign of progress. A big bipartisan 
vote will be a big step toward the Senate's forging a real consensus, 
where House Democrats have failed, and finally getting this urgently 
needed funding moving.
  I am grateful to Chairman Shelby and Ranking Member Leahy for finding 
common ground and generating this progress.
  I urge my fellow committee members on the Democratic side to finally 
put partisanship aside and vote to advance the kind of targeted, 
bipartisan solution that this crisis has needed for weeks.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.
  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in 
morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. DURBIN. I will yield when the minority leader, Senator Schumer, 
comes to the floor.