Jon Ossoff Criticizes Both Democrats And Republicans For Inaction On Border

  • 5 months ago
In Senate floor remarks on Wednesday, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) promoted the bipartisan Border Act.

Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:

https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript


Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Transcript
00:00 Madam President, for years too many Democrats have been in denial about the
00:11 national security risks at our southern border. And I have been critical of
00:17 fellow Democrats who have failed to acknowledge these risks, who have failed
00:21 to recognize that knowing and controlling who enters our territory is
00:26 fundamental to our sovereignty and our national security. But now, Madam President,
00:34 the situation has changed. There are more than enough Democratic senators ready
00:39 and willing to pass a strong bipartisan border security bill, a border security
00:44 bill co-authored by a conservative Republican senator, Senator Lankford of
00:49 Oklahoma, who's done extraordinary work crafting this legislation. A bill that
00:55 would surge enforcement resources to the southern border, that would tighten
00:59 asylum standards, that would expedite the removal of those who abuse asylum to
01:04 enter our country unlawfully, that would hire urgently needed Border Patrol
01:08 officers and take the fight to drug cartels flooding our communities with
01:13 fentanyl. This is a bipartisan bill to help defend the nation against
01:21 terrorists who would exploit weakness at our southern border to enter our
01:25 country and kill Americans. And now it's Republican senators who have already
01:32 once blocked and this week are threatening again to block bipartisan
01:37 border security legislation. Why, the American people ask, would Republicans in
01:43 Congress block border security legislation amidst a national security
01:49 crisis? The answer is simple. Asked recently on Fox News why Senate
01:57 Republicans were blocking the Border Act, Senator Lankford, the Republican
02:02 co-author of the bill, put it very simply, quote, "President Trump said don't fix
02:08 anything during the presidential election." President Trump said don't fix
02:14 anything during the presidential election. The former president would
02:21 rather wield the border as an election issue than see Congress secure it and
02:28 Republicans in Congress appear to be falling in line even though it leaves
02:33 the country at grave risk. Madam President, I urge my Republican
02:38 colleagues to reconsider their position. Just as I have criticized Democrats who
02:46 for years buried their heads in the sand about the threat at the southern border,
02:51 just as I have criticized the Biden administration for its failures at the
02:55 southern border, this is a time for Republican senators to stand up to
02:59 President Trump and say, "No, we will not obey your command to leave the country
03:06 at risk. Instead, we will do what's right for the nation." Madam President, the
03:14 threat of terrorism associated with unlawful entry at the southern border is
03:18 real. It is pressing. If the Senate fails to pass border security legislation,
03:25 refuses to tighten asylum standards, refuses to hire more Border Patrol
03:30 officers, refuses to expedite the removal of those who abuse our asylum system to
03:36 enter the country unlawfully, our nation faces a grave national security risk. The
03:43 first vote we'll take later this week on the Border Act will not even be a vote
03:48 on passage of the bill. It will be a vote on whether the Senate agrees to debate
03:55 and consider amendments to the legislation. If Senate Republicans think
04:00 this bill is imperfect, if they want to offer amendments, they will have that
04:05 opportunity. So I urge my Republican colleagues, ignore the former president.
04:14 President Trump said, "Don't fix anything during the presidential election. He's
04:20 not your boss. He's not your constituent. We have an obligation to national
04:28 security. The country's at risk. Let us debate the Border Act." And I yield the
04:35 floor.

Recommended