[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 11973]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    WASTEFUL SPENDING ON BORDER WALL

  (Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out against 
the wasteful spending of $1.6 billion of taxpayers' money.
  These funds will be used to construct unnecessary barriers along our 
Southern border, destroying wildlife habitats, and violating property 
rights of Americans. If we want to be more secure, we should 
appropriately fund to address CBP staffing issues, to maintain and 
upgrade aerostats and other technology, and to provide CBP with the 
resources it actually needs to continue maintaining a safe and secure 
border.
  Building a wall along our Southern border will put us on the wrong 
side of history. It will also be a shameful act in front of the 
international community that is watching us.
  Mr. Speaker, I support the Department of Homeland Security's mission 
to safeguard the American people, our homeland, and our values. These 
are not our values. But the congressional misallocation of over $1.5 
billion does not help to accomplish this goal.
  I urge my colleagues to oppose the funding of this expensive, 
unnecessary wall. I call on them to find more productive and effective 
uses of this fund in a way that better helps the American people and is 
on the right side of American history.

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