Lowey Floor Remarks on Emergency Humanitarian Supplemental

WASHINGTON — House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey today delivered the following remarks on the House Floor on the emergency supplemental to provide humanitarian relief to migrant children and families at the southern border:

M. Speaker, the humanitarian situation at our southern border is disgraceful.

The Trump administration has exacerbated a crisis that has led to intolerable conditions for children and families in the government’s care.

We have been advised that agencies that provide critical services for children, including the Office of Refugee Resettlement and Customs and Border Protection, will imminently run out of funds.

Earlier this week, the House passed a comprehensive bill to fund these agencies and provide important reforms to ensure that children in our government’s care are safe, healthy, and comfortable.

Sadly, the White House – which has done so much to create this crisis – refused to work with us to protect the children.

And the Senate Majority Leader, who I am told is selling tee shirts that describe him as the Grim Reaper, refused to respect the House as a co-equal body of Congress and negotiate the differences in our legislation.

Left in the lurch by this cruelty and callousness are the babies and children in government care.

The House refuses to be a party to this cruelty. That is why we are reluctantly bringing the Senate legislation to the Floor today.

We could have done better for the children and families. But unfortunately, the White House and the Senate would not allow that.

So, we will fight another day – and we will never stop fighting to protect the children, who are our future.

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