VIDEO: Democrats Block Sullivan Amendment to Secure the Border

08.07.22

WASHINGTON-The Senate voted today on an amendment offered by U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) to direct $500 million in the Schumer-Sanders reckless tax and spending bill, originally earmarked for sustainability and environmental programs at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to instead be allocated to U.S. Customs and Border Protection to secure the southern border. All 50 Senate Democrats voted against the measure.

"The humanitarian crisis, the national security crisis, and the health care crisis that are transpiring right now on our southern border is a tragedy of immense proportions that this administration and many of my Democratic colleagues turn a blind eye to-a dereliction that continued today with Senate Democrats opposing my commonsense amendment," said Senator Sullivan in a statement following the vote. "The priorities in this reckless tax and spending bill are all wrong. My amendment would have ensured that money in this bill for DHS is going where it's needed most right now-to build the wall and address the crisis at our southern border. The fact is, strong borders work. Walls work."

Full text of the Sullivan amendment can be found HERE.

Below is a transcript of Sen. Sullivan's remarks on the Senate floor.

Mr. President, we have a true crisis-a humanitarian crisis, a national security crisis-right now on our southern border.

It is a huge tragedy that my Democratic colleagues want to ignore. And that tragedy has spread across our nation: crime; victims of human trafficking, many of them children; a fentanyl epidemic killing our young people-chaos all fueled by a lawless border.

Secure borders work! Walls work. Just ask the Biden administration as they are quietly building sections of the wall in Arizona right now.

The Democrats' partisan reconciliation bill does nothing to address this crisis. Instead, it gives DHS (Department of Homeland Security) $500 million dollars for sustainability and environmental programs when our kids are dying from drugs streaming in from the border, (and) when our communities are under siege.

This should not be the priority for DHS. My amendment would take this half a billion dollars and recommit this DHS money to building the wall and securing our border, which is DHS's primary mission, not environmental programs.

I ask that all of my colleagues vote yes on this commonsense amendment.

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