WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va), chair of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, today spoke on the floor of the Senate to voice her support for the Homeland Security funding conference committee’s bipartisan compromise legislation.
“When you’re working to reach an agreement, it’s important to understand the difference between compromising on details and compromising on principles,” Senator Capito said. “While this agreement may compromise on some of the specifics, it does not compromise on our commitment to secure our nation. That commitment is also shared by our president, who has been unwavering in his promise to strengthen our border. It’s a goal we must achieve in a smart and informed way to address the real and ever-changing challenges we face as a nation.”
Senator Capito was one of seven senators appointed to the Homeland Security conference committee that produced a bipartisan, bicameral package deal this week.
To watch the speech, click here.
A transcript of the senator’s remarks are below:
We have before us on the floor today a bipartisan government funding measure, and as chairman of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, I rise in support of the conference agreement to secure our border, fund our government, and end any possibility of a shutdown at the same time.
This is an agreement compromised between Republicans and Democrats, between the House and the Senate.
And because it is a compromise, none of us really got everything that we wanted.
When you’re working to reach an agreement—whether you’re in government or in a family—it’s important to understand the difference between compromising on details and compromising on your principles.
While this agreement may compromise on some of the specifics, it does not compromise on our commitment to secure our nation and to secure our nation.
That commitment is also shared by our president, who has been unwavering in his promise to strengthen our border. And it’s a goal we must achieve in a smart and informed way to address the real and ever-changing challenges that we face as a nation.
On the border itself, I have been clear that our agreement had to include three critical elements, three legs of the stool: physical barriers, technology, and personnel.
There were a few sticking points for our Democrat colleagues. We heard from the Speaker of the House that there would be no wall or that there would not be $1 for the wall.
Instead, this agreement provides almost triple the money for new wall construction that we appropriated last year. In fact, we will pay for 55 miles of new wall in the Rio Grande Valley, where the Customs and Border Protection told us it is desperately needed.
This agreement will build twice as many miles of new wall as last year’s appropriations, despite the fact that we were negotiating with those who didn’t want to have any wall.
Would I prefer more money for the wall? Of course. But this bill provides the most money ever in a single appropriations bill for a barrier.
I drafted legislation by the Senate Appropriations Committee last June that would have fully funded the president’s budget request for the wall, and I would have voted for higher amounts of funding–and did actually in committee–for higher amounts of funding for the wall.
That’s because I believe strongly that physical barriers are a vital part of securing our border. I saw it for myself when I toured the border in California and Texas.
I saw the need. I saw how the walls work.
I will stand side by side with President Trump as he works to secure additional money to construct border wall in the future.
We got $1.375 billion, and that’s a long way from $1. It’s a critical down-payment on the president’s ultimate border security goal.
The best path forward to secure our border today is to pass this agreement.
This bill also stands with the men and women of ICE—Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
A statutory cap on the number of ICE detention beds would have required dangerous criminals to be released from ICE custody. It would have posed a threat to families and communities across the country, and it would have compromised an important principle.
This agreement rejects that anti-ICE proposal.
I have said many times, I support the men and women of ICE in their important work to secure our nation, and that is why the agreement before us gives ICE the operational flexibility it needs to accomplish its goals.
Taking advantage of the flexibility this bill provides, ICE can utilize 18 percent more detention beds than they are currently using. That means ICE can continue interior enforcement efforts and be ready to respond to any surges at the border. So it gives ICE the flexibility that they need.
I say to my friends who—like me— want more money for the wall: This agreement is better for the wall and better for ICE than any other alternative.
Rejecting this agreement would cost dozens of miles of new wall and jeopardize ICE’s ability to detain dangerous criminals.
Another government shutdown could not, cannot, and should not be allowed to happen.
We need to provide certainty to our federal workers and to the American people who we serve. I also think we need to restore trust in our ability to work across the aisle, to work across party lines to reach negotiated settlements that move us forward.
If we’re in a stalemate, we’re standing still. In my opinion, if you’re standing still, you’re actually moving backwards, and we don’t want to do that as a nation.
The work done by the men and women in our federal workforce during the shutdown should continue to be applauded.
Without pay and in a period of great uncertainty, thousands of men and women did their jobs at the highest level. We should be thankful for their service, and we are.
One of the things I’m proud of in my bill is a 1.9 percent pay increase for the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security. This is ICE, this is Border Patrol, Coast Guard, Secret Service, FEMA—we salute you.
Under this agreement, we will also hire 200 new Border Patrol agents over the FY18 funded level to police our border. We will add $600 million for non-intrusive inspection technology.
As I said before: Border wall, personnel, and technology are all vital parts of securing our border.
They are very, very critical in addressing the drug epidemic that has plagued West Virginia and many other parts of our country.
This bill includes the highest level of funding ever in a Homeland appropriations bill to combat the opioid epidemic—more than $700 million—and it has funds for investigations when it comes to human trafficking, looking into the dark web, and other crimes.
The Homeland Security portion of this agreement also takes a major step forward in advancing our nation’s Coast Guard by building a new polar security cutter to help address operational needs in the Arctic. This is critical to our homeland security.
We also address the needs of the TSA, the Secret Service, and FEMA to name just a few of the other entities within this title.
This bill is not the bill that I would have written alone. I don’t get to do that.
It is the product of the give and take that is necessary to forge a bipartisan consensus and is a strong compromise that will help secure our border and make America safer.
Senator Jon Tester, the ranking member of our subcommittee, the senator from Montana, has been an excellent partner as we have worked to deliver a bill worthy of the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security.
So I thank him for his efforts throughout this process. We’ve worked very well together.
I also want to thank Chairman Shelby and Vice Chairman Leahy for their work in guiding the Appropriations Committee to a deal. These are seasoned, seasoned appropriators who know how to get the job done.
Their leadership has demonstrated that the Appropriations Committee can come together and forge bipartisan consensus in the national interest.
The leaders of the House Appropriations Committee—Chairman Nita Lowey, who I know very well, and Ranking Member Kay Granger, who’s a good friend of mine from my service in the House, as well as Chairman Lucille Roybal-Allard and Ranking Member Chuck Fleishman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee—deserve our gratitude for forging ahead with a willingness to negotiate.
I also appreciate the contributions of all the members of our conference committee.
And I’d like to thank a group of individuals who have dedicated a lot of nights, weekends, and family time to this effort.
Their knowledge of the facts and their commitment to the cause never waned—even though their time to sleep did wane.
Shannon Hines, who is Chairman Shelby’s right-hand woman was fantastic.
To Adam Telle, Peter Babb, Christian Lee, Chris Cook, and Thompson Moore of the Homeland Security Subcommittee staff which I chair—as well as my own Appropriations staffer, J.T. Jezierski—I say thank you. A big thank you.
So Mister President, though I have spent the majority of my time today and the last several weeks on my bill, our bill, my thanks and congratulations also go to my fellow chairmen on their titles in this package.
They have produced legislation that will help West Virginia expand access to broadband, combat the opioid epidemic, enhance our transportation, foster economic development, and advance scientific research and discovery.
They too faced similar challenges to craft bipartisan legislation, and they too got it done.
In closing, though conferees compromised on details, we did not compromise our principles.
Passing this conference agreement is in our national security interest. It will provide the resources, the direction, and the support that the president has said many times he needs to protect our nation.
I am very proud to have been a part of this process and I encourage my colleagues to join me in a bipartisan fashion and in passing this bill later this afternoon.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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