[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 165 (Thursday, September 23, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6634-S6635]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Canadian Border

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, early this week, the administration 
extended its border closure with Canada for another month. Another 
month that vaccinated Americans can travel into Canada, but vaccinated 
Canadians cannot cross our border; dealing another monthlong blow to 
American businesses all across our northern border.
  Now, I am glad to see the Biden administration taking the pandemic 
seriously and delivering much-needed relief in a lot of different ways, 
but I am not going to stay quiet about this serious, completely 
unnecessary harm this border-crossing closure is causing to small 
businesses and workers in Point Roberts, WA.
  Now, as I have said to everybody who will listen, and some who, I am 
sure, are tired of hearing me, Point Roberts must at least have an 
exemption as we work to safely reopen the U.S.-Canadian border.
  And here is why. For those of you not familiar with this particular 
part of Washington State, Point Roberts is right here. It is called an 
exclave community. People who live in Point Roberts, in order to get to 
the rest of our State, have to travel through Canada and back down to 
Washington State. If Canadians cannot come across the border, Point 
Roberts is really isolated. That is what is happening right now.
  Now, let's paint a picture. You can take a boat right now from Canada 
to Point Roberts. You can fly across the border from Vancouver down to 
Seattle. But right now, because this border is closed, a Canadian 
family who lives within here can't go to Point Roberts for lunch, and 
they are sitting right here. This is this Canadian border, and this is 
Point Roberts.
  Now, Point Roberts has some small businesses, and its entire economy 
cannot survive without that easy border cross for folks who live within 
this region. They can't count on people from down here to come up to 
their restaurants or to their businesses.
  Their local economy depends on Canadian tourists, especially since, 
by the way, the only ferry between Point Roberts and the rest of 
Washington State is closed because of the pandemic. So people can't get 
up there right now. The only people who can help that community survive 
have to come across this border, and they can't because it is closed.
  Now, this has been going on for 17 months and counting, and I have 
heard from so many small business owners there, including the owner of 
the only grocery store in town who is now on the brink of shutting down 
his doors for good--the only grocery store here for the people who live 
there and for the people close by.
  Now, I really appreciate the administration's science-based approach 
to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have to follow science, and we need to 
follow the evidence, and I am proud we have taken COVID-19 extremely 
serious from the very start in my home State of Washington. But I 
firmly believe the evidence supports at least a narrow and tailored 
exception to the Canadian border closure to allow for a reopening right 
here for this community, Point Roberts. It is their port of entry for 
Canadian travel, and it needs to be open if we want those people to 
survive.
  I have yet to be presented with a compelling reason why a border 
exemption for this small little community has not yet been provided.
  I have spoken directly with DHS Secretary Mayorkas about this. I have 
talked with Jeff Zients, the White

[[Page S6635]]

House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, and a lot of other top 
officials at the State Department and White House as well. No one--not 
a person--can explain to me what evidence is being used to support that 
border restriction right there for Point Roberts.
  So I am here on the Senate floor today to make sure that President 
Biden and his administration understand me. At the very least, we just 
need an emergency exemption from these restrictions for this small 
little Point Roberts community right here so that they can get their 
economy back up and running and that people there have the services 
that they need.
  I am going to continue to press the administration on this and do 
whatever I can to help this community. But I want this on the record: 
Maintaining this ban on cross-border travel for Point Roberts is 
absolutely unacceptable. It should have been addressed months ago, and 
I will not stop until this is resolved.
  Thank you.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.
  (The remarks of Mr. DURBIN pertaining to the introduction of [S. 
2384] are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced 
Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')
  Mr. DURBIN. I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. HAWLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Schatz). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.