[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 14, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S3672]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            BORDER SECURITY

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, now on the border, it has been 97 days 
since Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans blocked the strongest, most 
comprehensive border security bill America has seen in a generation, 
and they still have zero plan to actually fix the problem.
  President Biden, meanwhile, is taking action to secure our border. 
Last week, the President began announcing a series of administrative 
actions to go after bad actors in Central America and to use whatever 
powers he can from the executive branch.
  Here in the Senate, we have not walked away from the table. We know 
we need to fix the border. The American people demand we fix the 
border, and we call on our Republican colleagues, once and for all, to 
join us in taking real, bipartisan action.
  Democrats agree that the status quo on the border cannot continue. We 
want to pass border security in Congress by working in a bipartisan 
way, and so, 3 months ago, we brought to the floor a comprehensive 
border security bill, months in the making--a bill that didn't just 
talk the talk about border security but walked the walk. It updated 
asylum, had more money for border agents and judges, and was supported 
by conservatives like the Wall Street Journal editorial board.
  Our border bill was not a messaging bill. It was the result of 
bipartisan negotiation--Senators Murphy and Sinema and Lankford, with 
input from a wide range of stakeholders from both sides. If both 
Chambers would have had a chance to vote on our border security bill, 
it would have passed and become law.
  Well, 3 months later, we are not walking away from trying to resolve 
the problems at the border. We hope Republicans will change course and 
join us. Instead of just making a lot of speeches, pointing a lot of 
fingers--blame, blame, blame--let's get something done. It is right 
within our grasp--a bipartisan bill that, when it was shown to many 
Republicans, they said, ``Wow.'' It wasn't until Donald Trump said, ``I 
want the border to remain in chaos so I can win election,'' that 
Republicans backed off. What shame--that is not what the American 
people want, and we are going to make sure they know it.

                          ____________________