[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 89 (Wednesday, May 22, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3858-S3859]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--S. 4392

  Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, I come to the floor today to continue 
this discussion of the crisis at our southern border.
  When Joe Biden walked into the White House, the southern border was 
secure. Tragically, for our country, he then signed 94 Executive orders 
in his first 100 days. He rolled out the welcome mat, and millions and 
millions of illegal immigrants flooded into our Nation. The Democrats 
in Congress joined him. They joined the President. They worked with 
him. They aggressively rolled back Republican-led policies that had 
worked to keep our country safe. Our southern border is now a pipeline 
for illegal crossings. Since Joe Biden took office, almost 10 million 
illegal immigrants have invaded America.
  The Democrats' uncontrolled illegal immigration strains our tax 
dollars; it undermines the safety of our citizens; and it endangers our 
communities. Hard-working American taxpayers are now paying. They are 
paying for housing; they are paying for healthcare; they are paying for 
government handouts--all for illegal immigrants. According to one 
study, the Democratic border crisis costs States and cities close to 
$450 billion each and every year.
  The heaviest costs of this crisis are borne by families, by 
communities, and by local law enforcement. Day after day, lives are cut 
short or changed forever. Just 2 weeks ago, in Florida, an 11-year-old 
girl was kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a 20-year-old illegal 
immigrant brought into this country under the catch-and-release program 
of President Biden. He is here because of this dangerous program.
  The local sheriff in Florida had this to say:

       The Federal Government is victimizing the people who live 
     in this country by letting these people in.

  To my Democratic colleagues, I would say: You voted for open borders. 
I would ask you, What if this were your daughter or what if this were 
your granddaughter who had been kidnapped by an illegal immigrant 
brought in by catch-and-release--a 20-year-old here. Terrible. 
Frightening.
  Fortunately, this young girl's mother was able to identify the 
situation, and she ran desperately to get that daughter who had been 
kidnapped.
  We are here fighting to secure the border to make our communities 
safer. Democrats in this body have done nothing to secure the border. 
They have done nothing to stop the flood of illegal immigrants. The 
record by the Democrats in this body is appalling, and let me start 
with H.R. 2.
  H.R. 2 is, of course, the House bill. It is called the Secure the 
Border Act of 2023. It is the strongest border security bill in our 
history. It completes the wall because walls work. It surges new 
technology to the border. It hires more Border Patrol agents and gives 
them a bonus. It ends catch-and-release, and it reinstates the 
successful plan of ``Remain in Mexico.'' If signed into law, H.R. 2 
would stop the flood of illegal immigrants.

  Now, the House of Representatives passed this bill, the Secure the 
Border Act of 2023, on May 11 of 2023. Well, that was over a year ago. 
The Senate majority leader refuses to bring this House-passed bill to 
the floor, and he has been blocking the bill for over a year.
  Of course, it is not just blocking the Secure the Border Act that is 
the problem. Democrats will not vote for real border security measures. 
For 3 years now, open border Democrats--each and every one of them--
have rejected solutions aimed at fixing the border crisis not once, not 
twice but in 22 different recorded votes. Democrats banded together to 
say no to finishing the wall, no to ending catch-and-release, and no to 
restoring the ``Remain in Mexico'' policy. They blocked the Laken Riley 
Act.
  Meanwhile, they have embraced policies that have tried to smooth the 
flow of illegal immigrants when people all across America are saying: 
Stop this flood. This includes sending illegal immigrants cash payments 
paid with taxpayer dollars. The Democrats continue to fund sanctuary 
cities. For 3 years, my Democratic colleagues have seemed to welcome 
the crisis at our southern border. They now want to run away from their 
record, and we know why. It is because election day is less than 6 
months away, and they can read the polls. Democrats can run, but they 
cannot hide.
  The majority leader recently said that the situation at the border is 
unacceptable. I am not sure he actually believes that. After all, one 
of his first comments after the 2022 election was that he endorsed 
amnesty for illegal immigrants. The majority leader said at the time 
that opening our country to illegal immigrants is ``the only way we are 
going to have a great future in America.'' It is ``the only way.'' That 
is what the majority leader said. It is ``the only way we are going to 
have a great future in America''--amnesty for illegal immigrants.
  The Democrats have no desire to secure the border. Every single 
Democrat

[[Page S3859]]

in this Capitol is responsible for the drugs, the deaths, and the 
destruction brought on by the invasion of our Nation by illegal 
immigrants.
  This is a cycle of suffering that Senate Republicans are determined 
to stop. This week, I introduced a bill called the Build the Wall Act. 
We know that the border wall works. My proposal finishes the wall. It 
pays for it by clawing back unused COVID funding. This wall is 
absolutely vital to our Nation's security.
  You know, once upon a time, Senator Schumer actually supported a 
border wall. Many of his Democratic colleagues supported a border wall. 
When Joe Biden was then-Senator Joe Biden--and I served with him in 
this body--he actually voted for a border wall. They have all flip-
flopped, and we know why--politics, plain and simple.
  To my Democratic colleagues, I say this: You are responsible for 
innocent Americans being victimized by illegal immigrants in 
communities all across the Nation. If Democrats are serious about 
securing the border, they should start by voting for a policy that 
actually works and is paid for. That is the reason to vote for the bill 
I have introduced, the Build the Wall Act.
  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule 
XXII, the Senate resume legislative session and proceed to the 
immediate consideration of S. 4392, which is at the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Oregon.
  Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, reserving the right to object, I share 
our colleague's view that the southern border is serious business. I 
strongly favor smart, effective policies to deal with it.
  The reason I can't support what he has proposed is that defunding 
infrastructure does not make sense, and that has long been the position 
of the Senate.
  The money that is being discussed here has been supported unanimously 
over three particular initiatives here in the Congress. The authors of 
this, and I would say this specifically, have been Senator Cornyn, a 
member of the leadership on the other side of the aisle, and our 
colleague from California, Senator Padilla.
  Let me repeat that. We have gone through this three times with strong 
bipartisan support from Republican leadership--our colleague from 
Texas, Senator Cornyn--and Senator Padilla from California. The reason 
why is that we have said we can come up with smart policies on the 
border and also maintain our infrastructure.
  Unfortunately, the funding that my colleague is talking about would 
harm the effort to ensure we build the roads and the bridges and that 
we deal with lead pipes in schools. That is what we are talking about. 
That is why the States and the localities have been such strong 
supporters of this.
  My colleague serves on the Finance Committee. There are a number of 
areas where we have worked together. I will note that this week in the 
Finance Committee, a number of our colleagues on the other side of the 
aisle have talked about how they want to generate more growth--a smart 
idea. Put me down as interested and wanting to work in a bipartisan 
way.
  Well, the reality is, you can't generate big-league economic growth 
with little-league infrastructure, and that, unfortunately, is what is 
going on here. Where we agree that we ought to be tackling a very 
serious issue--the southern border--we disagree on the method of 
funding that effort.
  I think defunding infrastructure is the end result of what my 
colleague is talking about, and it turns upside down the bipartisan 
coalition that has allowed us to use that money at the State and local 
levels with Republican leadership and our friend from California.
  So that is why I have to object. Therefore, I do object this evening.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
  Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, let me be very, very brief in just 
pointing out that this bill calls for using unspent COVID money, 
specifically as a result of the COVID pandemic that hit our Nation, 
money sent to be spent for that. It does seem to me and to probably 
just about every American that we are way beyond that period of time, 
and money designated for that purpose has not yet been spent. It should 
be readily available for a project like this.
  I would also note that my friend and colleague who is on the floor 
was, along with President Biden and Senator Schumer, one of those who 
did vote on September 29, 2006, for a bill, at the time, that was 
called the Secure Fence Act of 2006.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, just very briefly, having participated in 
these debates--this specific discussion now, on several occasions--
again, my friend and I just have a difference of opinion. Senator 
Cornyn and Senator Padilla have repeatedly talked about this being for 
the roads and bridges and dealing with lead pipes in schools. That is 
so central to the brighter future we all--Democrats and Republicans--
want for our country.
  So as we wrap up, I want it understood that I share my colleague's 
view about how serious the southern border is. What we differ on is how 
we are going to pay for it. And defunding infrastructure--which Senator 
Cornyn and Senator Padilla set out to do, and I think in a very smart 
way--is not the way to go.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. BARRASSO. I yield the floor.

                          ____________________