June 26, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 108 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page S4563]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND 
                  SECURITY AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER ACT

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, this morning, Americans woke up to a 
picture of a 25-year-old father lying facedown, holding his infant 
daughter. They both drowned crossing the Rio Grande River. The border 
policies implemented by this administration have life or death 
consequences. Congress should be doing everything in its power to make 
sure that our southern border is safe and secure and that asylum 
seekers are treated with dignity and respect.
  I share the horror of my constituents in Maryland about the squalid 
and inhumane conditions in which children are being held at the border. 
We have an obligation to provide resources to ensure the safety of 
these children, but this administration has demonstrated only 
callousness towards migrants seeking asylum at our border, and we have 
an obligation as a coequal branch of government with the power of the 
purse to ensure that the resources we provide are spent responsibly and 
deliver real care. While I appreciate the guardrails that Senators 
Leahy and Shelby negotiated in this bill, I believe that the House-
passed package has stronger restrictions that will better protect 
children and families at the border.
  Also, as I said to my colleagues when we marked up this bill, I have 
serious concerns with this administration's repeated practice of 
transferring funding from the purpose that we appropriate to meet its 
own ends. Today, a group of constituents stopped by my office seeking 
reassurance that this funding would not be used for interior 
enforcement. They were understandably fearful of the President's 
threats of widespread raids and mass deportations. While this bill 
prohibits transfers within DHS on this supplemental funding, I cannot 
fully reassure my constituents because the administration could still 
transfer other FY19 funds to support its draconian immigration agenda.
  I have visited the border, and I have seen the tragedy the 
President's policies have created there. His family separation policy 
is a dark mark on our Nation's history. His Justice Department has 
argued that toothbrushes, soap, and even sleep are not necessary for 
the well-being of children. It is clear that Congress cannot simply 
trust this administration to do the right thing.
  I urge my colleagues to work to include the stronger House-passed 
restrictions to protect children's safety and to strengthen 
restrictions on reprogramming as we continue our appropriations 
process.

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