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Rep. Chip Roy On The National Emergency Override Vote

March 26, 2019

WASHINGTON--Rep. Chip Roy released the following statement Tuesday regarding H.J. Res 46, relating to a National Emergency declared by the President on Feb. 15, 2019:

"Even as our Border Patrol is on record claiming they expect to apprehend 100,000 illegal border crossers this month, Democrats forced a political show vote on whether we have an emergency at our border. Let me be very clear … We. Have. An. Emergency. At. Our. Border.

When cartels have operational control of our border, hundreds of thousands of people and thousands of pounds of dangerous narcotics are crossing our border, and women and children are being abused, there is no other word to call what is happening but an ‘emergency.'

While my colleagues across the aisle continue to ignore structural reforms and play political theater, Sen. Mike Lee and I have put forward companion legislation that would address many of the issues they pretend to be raising regarding emergency powers. Democrats have ignored it, signalling their lack of willingness to have a substantive debate.

Furthermore, the spending that Democrats are attempting to oppose hasn't even occurred yet. The question of whether this money is being spent appropriately is not ripe yet. The administration is not doing it. When they spend the money, Congress can revisit how they are spending the money.

Today's vote was nothing more than a continued effort by Democrats to avoid the very real emergency at our southern border."

Robert Donachie | Congressman Chip Roy (R-TX)
1319 Longworth House Office Building | Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-4236 | (202) 225-8628 (f)