Scalise Statement on Presidential Address

Statement

Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) released the following statement regarding President Trump's address to the nation:

"Tonight the President made clear his firm commitment to reopening the government while also securing our southern border.

"Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have refused to negotiate. Nancy Pelosi actually joked last week that Congress should give just a single dollar to fund the wall. A single dollar. With criminals, drugs, and human trafficking pouring across our border each day, this is no time for jokes. We need action. President Trump called for all Americans to call Congress and ask for the money necessary to secure our border and reopen the government. I am also calling on Speaker Pelosi to get serious about this crisis and put an offer on the table that finally secures our border.

"17,000 people with prior criminal convictions were stopped last year trying to come across our southern border, and those are just the ones we actually caught. Additionally, according to Doctors Without Borders, more than 30% of women who make the journey to our southern border report being sexually assaulted along the way.

"As our country is reeling from an unprecedented opioid crisis claiming lives at record rates, 90% of the heroin flowing into the United States is coming across our southern border illegally.

"As President Trump outlined, we are in the midst of a humanitarian and national security crisis. These facts may not fit the narrative of Washington liberals, but they cannot be ignored. Republicans have acted to address this crisis. Last month, House Republicans passed a bill that both funded the government and provided the $5.7 billion that national security experts say is needed to secure our border. Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader Schumer have yet to put forward a single serious alternative to open our government and fund border security.

"Tonight the President made crystal clear that he is serious about solving this crisis. I am in strong agreement with the President that we need to secure our border. It's long past time that Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader Schumer stop playing political games and work with us to finally secure our border and reopen the government."

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