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.

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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.

Jon Ossoff Criticizes Both Democrats And Republicans For Inaction On Border

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