Floor Statements

Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to H. Con. Res. 25 and in support of the Van Hollen substitute.

The majority has offered a budget that literally doubles down on the sequester. This would be a disaster for El Paso. It would mean twice as many Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) furloughs as they are already facing and longer lines at our bridges into the foreseeable future. Nearly 100,000 jobs in the El Paso region depend on the $80 billion in yearly cross border trade with Mexico. Longer lines at our ports of entry equals less trade and fewer jobs for El Pasoans. The majority budget includes a nearly $100 billion cut to Pell Grants for low-income students. At the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), 65% of students use Pell Grants to afford their education. It would mean deep and irresponsible cuts to programs my constituents rely on, including Medicare. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has said the majority budget will result in 750,000 job losses this year. I cannot vote to put the future of so many El Pasoans at risk.

We need a credible, long-term plan that does not compromise the economic recovery now taking place. Although far from perfect, the substitute budget offered by Mr. Van Hollen comes closest to this goal. It fully replaces the sequester with a balanced mix of cuts and revenues and stabilizes our finances by reducing the deficit by $1.8 trillion over the next ten years. If passed, this budget would prevent the 750,000 job losses associated with the sequester. Ending the sequester will also prevent furloughs for 20,000 El Pasoans, including our Border Patrol agents and civilian employees at Fort Bliss. The Van Hollen substitute also ensures we maintain a strong national defense while acknowledging that our military will be downsizing as the result of two wars ending. I support it as the most reasonable budget offered; however, the Van Hollen substitute fails to offer a solution to strengthen Medicare and Social Security for the long-term.

We need a real budget that can get buy-in from both political parties. Instead of playing to the fears of the political extremes, why not work to find the middle and compromise? I came here to represent the interests of El Pasoans and govern responsibly. I hope that we can put the political posturing of this budget debate behind us and start finding real solutions.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce H.R. 1265, bipartisan legislation which would restore tuition assistance for men and women serving in the military.

Earlier this month, the Department of Defense announced that the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard would all be suspending their tuition assistance programs due to sequestration.

I represent Fort Bliss and the 36,000 men and women in uniform who currently serve there. Many of them served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the tuition assistance programs are critical to help them transition into civilian life and to find good-paying jobs.

This program represents 0.1 percent of the Pentagon's budget. As Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Martin Dempsey has said, ``There's nothing more important in a democracy than education.''

Let's stand up to ensure that those who have given so much for our Nation have access to education. Please join me in supporting H.R. 1265.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support the Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act, a bipartisan bill introduced this week that will create jobs and facilitate trade at no cost to the Federal Government.

Trade between the U.S. and Mexico has grown by 600 percent since 1990 and continues to increase each year; 100,000 jobs in El Paso, Texas, and 6 million nationwide depend on this trade. Unfortunately, capacity at our ports of entry has not kept pace. Despite increased staffing and use of technology, waits at our ports are unpredictable and unacceptably long.

This bill will help us solve this problem. By authorizing public- private partnerships, this legislation would provide Customs and Border Patrol effective new tools to improve infrastructure, expand capacity, and increase staffing at our ports of entry without new costs for U.S. taxpayers.

At a time of heightened partisanship, this legislation is proof that when Democrats and Republicans work together, we can advance commonsense ideas that can create jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to help introduce the Cross- Border Trade Enhancement Act (H.R. 1108), a bill that will create jobs and facilitate trade at no cost to the Federal Government. I am proud to join Congressman Cuellar and McCaul in moving forward with this bipartisan bill.

El Paso, the city I represent, and other border communities rely on cross border trade for their economic vitality. Each year, $80 billion in trade flows through El Paso's ports of entry. Residents of our sister city, Ciudad Juarez, annually contribute $2 billion to El Paso's economy. In the El Paso region alone, this trade supports 100,000 jobs. Nationally, 6 million jobs are a direct product of bi-lateral trade between the U.S. and Mexico. Since 1990 this trade has grown by 600 percent and continues to increase each year. Unfortunately, capacity at our ports of entry has not kept pace. Despite increased staffing and use of technology, waits at our ports of entry are often unpredictable and unacceptably long. This harms our economy and our way of life along the border. We have friends and family and sometimes jobs on the other side and we need to be able to cross in a timely manner.

The Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act is a proactive first step to finding a solution to this problem. By authorizing public-private partnerships, this legislation would provide The Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) with effective new tools to improve infrastructure, expand capacity, and increase staffing at our ports of entry without creating new costs for taxpayers. For example, under this bill, the City of El Paso would have the ability to raise funds and enter into a partnership with CBP to cooperatively help fund increased staffing at our ports of entry. This could help keep all the lanes on one of our local bridges open for a longer period of time.

As Washington operates under serious fiscal constraints, we need this legislation more than ever. Earlier this month, as a result of sequestration, CBP officers along our border received furlough notices of 14 days. Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, has warned that failing to undo sequestration cuts could lead to 4 or 5 hour wait times at our ports of entry. The reality is clear--Congress is unlikely to provide the resources we need to facilitate the legal and efficient flow of goods and people across our borders. We need innovative policies that allow communities who depend on cross-border trade to find creative solutions to our fiscal problems. The Cross- Border Trade Enhancement Act is such a solution. At a time of heightened partisanship, this legislation is proof that when Democrats and Republicans work together, we can advance common sense ideas.

We need a 21st Century border policy that not only secures our border, but also recognizes the significance the border and our partnership with Mexico represent for our country and the economy. The Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act is an important part of that policy. I urge all of my colleagues to join with me in supporting this critical legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to explain my vote for the Continuing Resolution, H.R. 933. It is a deeply flawed bill that fails to adequately address the mindless cuts of the sequester; however, I believe it is an improvement over the current budget status quo and will help ease the pain of the sequester cuts for El Paso.

We should be voting on a balanced plan to end the sequester. I and other members have attempted to introduce legislation that would replace the sequester. In fact, we even tried to force a vote today to do this once again, but have been continually and repeatedly blocked by the majority at every turn. The non-partisan CBO says that the sequester will mean 750,000 lost jobs across the country. In El Paso, 20,000 federal workers, including those that protect our borders and care for our wounded warriors, are facing furloughs and continued pay freezes because Congress has not acted. Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke recently testified that the sequester cuts will actually make it more difficult to address our long-term deficits because it will slow economic growth. The sequester will also mean fewer teachers in our classrooms, less Head Start spots for low-income children, and cuts to job-training programs that help dislocated workers find employment.

The bill before us today recognizes that the sequester is irresponsible and it provides relief from the negative impacts of the sequester for two agencies--the Veterans Administration and the Defense Department. Our vote today on actual appropriations bills for these two agencies will help alleviate some of the worst sequester impacts. For example, this legislation allows the Defense Department to shift funds to the Operations and Maintenance account so that our military installations, including Fort Bliss, can operate effectively and ensure that our troops continue to receive world-class training. It provides advanced appropriations for the VA so they can care for our veterans. By providing a full year appropriations for Military Construction, this legislation will provide greater certainty for the Beaumont East hospital project on Fort Bliss. The bill also provides targeted relief to the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and will allow CBP to maintain staffing levels and hopefully avoid the full 14 days of furloughs scheduled to start next month. This will help prevent gridlock at our ports of entry and help the economy of El Paso, not to mention the greater security afforded to family budgets for those CBP employees. For these reasons I am supporting the Continuing Resolution today.

However, this legislation is far from perfect and is certainly not the bill I would have authored. But I cannot go home and tell El Pasoans that I voted against protecting working families and tens of thousands of jobs at Fort Bliss and within the CBP because I was holding out for a better deal. My only choice was to vote yea or nay. I choose to help move the ball forward, avoid a government shut-down, and alleviate some of the worst impacts of the sequester.

There is still time to make needed improvements to this legislation and provide our federal agencies with the flexibility and funding they need to function properly. The Defense Department and the Veterans Administration are vitally important agencies; however, there is no reason that Congress should carry out its responsibilities of passing a budget for only them, while forcing the rest of the government to function under the mindless cuts imposed by the sequester and spending priorities enacted 18 months ago. I will continue to work toward a responsible solution to stop the sequester, fund our government, protect the jobs of El Pasoans, and ensure that programs that many in my community rely on are protected.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mitchell Marcus, Jonathon Montanez, and the Franklin and Coronado High School basketball teams in El Paso, Texas.

Few teams have a more contentious rivalry than these two schools, who compete to claim the title: Pride of the Westside. So it was a hometown sports miracle when these rivals came together last month to support Mitchell Marcus, a special-needs student who was the Coronado basketball team manager.

With 90 seconds left in the season's final game, Coach Peter Morales put Mitchell in the game to fulfill his dream of making a basket. However, after a few missed shots, Mitchell's opportunity seemed lost. But with seconds left in the game, rival Franklin player Jonathon Montanez passed the ball to Mitchell, and he scored the final basket as the clock hit zero. Fans stormed the court to carry Mitchell on their shoulders, chanting his name.

It is a moment now famous in El Paso and around the world because it shows that character and compassion can transcend even the bitterest rivalries.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to give voice to the concerns I am hearing from my constituents and my community when it comes to the sequester.

El Pasoans are worried about cuts to public education, canceled flights, delays in processing Social Security and veterans' benefits, and fewer resources for law enforcement.

They are also worried about their jobs. For example, I represent 20,000 workers and their families who are going to be facing furloughs. We are concerned that wait times at our ports of entry will increase to 4 or 5 hours if the sequester happens and furloughs result in 7,000 fewer Customs and Border Protection officers. This undermines those employees and their families and the trade that supports nearly 100,000 jobs in the El Paso region.

Mr. Speaker, let's fix this. Let's vote on legislation that will replace the sequester with responsible cuts and revenues.

I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 699.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to your attention the devastating impacts that the sequester will have on my community, El Paso, Texas. The numbers speak for themselves. Two weeks of furloughs for Customs and Border Patrol officers--that's the equivalent of losing 5,000 border patrol agents and almost 3,000 CBP officers at our ports of entry. Mind you, more than $450 billion in trade passes through our ports of entry every year. More than 100,000 jobs in my home community depend on the free, secure flow of goods, trade, and people through our ports of entry, and jobs are at stake.

In addition, 11,000 civilian employees at Fort Bliss in El Paso will be furloughed for 22 days. These are the middle class Americans who care for our wounded warriors when they return from war and make our military base run efficiently. These individuals will be facing a 20 percent cut because Congress cannot muster the courage to come up with a responsible solution.

In addition to these job losses, El Paso children will bear a large burden through the elimination of teachers and classroom aides and Head Start slots.

Mr. Speaker, there are many details yet to divine as we bring our laws in line with our values in the coming debate over immigration reform, but I caution my colleagues against using additional enforcement and security measures as a condition and a pretext to delay much-needed reform.

While we should always seek to improve the security of this country in ways that are consistent with our Constitution, I remind my colleagues of our efforts and the cost borne by border communities as we have worked to secure the border in the years since 9/11.

After we have spent billions on border walls, seen record-high deportations and record-low immigrant apprehensions, endured endless lines at our international ports of entry that threaten to destroy our economy and our way of life, it is time to focus on immigration reform and the secure, legal flow of people and trade.

The people of El Paso, Texas, a city of immigrants that was recently ranked as the safest in the United States, can tell you this: pass comprehensive immigration reform, and you will have true border security.

``Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or affirmation:''

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully

execute the office of President of the United States, and

will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend

the Constitution of the United States.

Article II, section 2:

``The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several States, when called into the actual service of the United States; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.''