[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 15, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H246]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CELEBRATING MONROE COUNTY BICENTENNIAL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kentucky (Mr. Comer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my beloved Monroe 
County as we enter the 200th year of our county's rich and storied 
history.
  A small rural county in south central Kentucky, Monroe County is home 
to communities steeped in history and tradition. Whether you are from 
Tompkinsville, Gamaliel, or Fountain Run, you have a shared Monroe 
County identity.
  If you are a Monroe Countian, you more than likely enjoy our 
legendary barbecue and probably have countless stories to tell about 
our county's rich history, especially our political history.
  This Sunday, January 19, hundreds of us will gather to celebrate 
Monroe County's 200th birthday. As we meet at the Tompkinsville 
National Guard Armory for this proud occasion, I will be seeing many of 
the friendly faces that shaped my upbringing and remain good friends to 
this day.
  Monroe County holds a special place in my heart; and now, more than 
ever, I am proud to serve as a voice for our citizens right here in our 
Nation's Capitol.

                              {time}  1045


                Taking a Stand Against Sanctuary Cities

  Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my concern about the 
upturn of sanctuary cities across the United States and push for action 
to enhance public safety by further cracking down on illegal 
immigration.
  There should be consequences for not following the law. Local 
governments that choose not to enforce immigration laws recklessly put 
lives at risk. Senseless deaths occasionally result from crimes 
committed by criminal illegal aliens who take refuge in sanctuary 
cities.
  Action is needed to prevent more harm from cities refusing to 
cooperate with Federal immigration officials. Allowing cities to tie 
the hands of our brave law enforcement officers and ignore the law 
should not be tolerated. I am calling on Congress to strengthen the 
safety of our communities by passing legislation banning sanctuary 
cities.
  But while we continue to await action on this important issue, States 
are stepping up and making this a top priority. I want to commend the 
leaders in my home State of Kentucky who are taking proactive action to 
ban sanctuary cities and strengthen public safety. The leadership they 
are showing on this issue is an important step toward giving law 
enforcement more tools to go after major problems like drug trafficking 
and will benefit all Kentuckians.


              Delayed Transmission of Impeachment Articles

  Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, as of today, it has been 4 weeks since House 
Democrats voted, in a historically partisan manner, to impeach 
President Donald Trump.
  In voting to silence the will of 63 million Americans, they made 
clear that they were not here to work for the American people but to 
carry out a personal vendetta. Even a few House Democrats realized that 
impeachment was not in the best interest of our country, joining 
Republicans to oppose this baseless crusade.
  But after their vote, Speaker Pelosi realized they had made a grave 
mistake. Their sham process and evidence-free case went against the 
wishes of the American people.
  Knowing their case was baseless, Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats 
sat on these articles for 1 month. After originally claiming that 
impeachment was an urgent crisis and insisting that President Trump was 
a threat to national security, Democrats sat on their hands and delayed 
a timely trial on their own shoddy work product.
  But the day has finally come where they are sending their weak case 
over to the Senate. I look forward to the day where Congress may 
finally move on from this partisan impeachment process that has wasted 
an amazing amount of time and resources and distracted from issues that 
matter most to the American people.
  While I am disappointed that we have reached this sad point in this 
congressional body, I look forward to seeing a more fair and 
responsible hearing in the Senate.

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