I am glad the Schumer shutdown is over. I am glad federal workers will finally be paid. For weeks, Democrats held their paychecks hostage. Yesterday, I fought hard to immediately pay every single essential federal employee – every essential employee at the Coast Guard, the TSA, air traffic controllers, Border Patrol agents, ICE agents, FBI agents, and those throughout law enforcement. Chuck Schumer and the Democrats cynically objected to that legislation and killed it on the Senate floor.
The Democrats have claimed that, once the shutdown ends, they are willing to negotiate in good faith to secure the border. Given their behavior, there is considerable reason to be skeptical of their claim. But, now, we will see if they actually meant what they said.
The media will obsess over the short-term political fight. But what matters is enacting real solutions to the real problems of this country. We have a crisis at our border, one that Texas experiences first-hand. We need real border security, including physical barriers to stop drug traffickers and human traffickers. I will continue to lead the fight to secure the border and get the job done. We must keep our word to the American people.
Perhaps the Democrats will end their partisan obstruction, set aside their hatred of the president, and agree to a reasonable compromise to actually secure the border. I hope so.
If not – if Democrats continue to embrace open borders at the expense of the American people – then today’s actions have made it all but inevitable that the president will declare a national emergency and deploy the funds and manpower necessary to build a steel barrier at high-traffic locations on the border.
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