RANKING MEMBERS THOMPSON AND RASKIN ISSUE STATEMENT FOLLOWING EIGHTH VOLUNTARY TRANSCRIBED INTERVIEW WITH BORDER PATROL SECTOR CHIEF

Statement

"Today is the eighth time Committee Republicans have forced a Border Patrol Sector Chief away from their duty station to confirm what we already know: Border Patrol is working hard to secure the southern border and the Biden-Harris Administration is providing support and resources to fulfill this important mission.

Chief Chavez confirmed that an extreme MAGA Republican government shutdown next week will have devastating consequences on Border Patrol operations and the agents who work to keep us safe. During a shutdown, Chief Chavez explained, Border Patrol's efforts to interview and vet migrants at the border will suffer from lack of resources and agents will be forced to work without paychecks.

The last time Republicans forced the government to shut down, some Border Patrol agents had to rely on community assistance for food and medical services and struggled to pay their rents and mortgages.

Our Committees have now heard from eight southwest border Chief Patrol Agents, and we are dismayed that Republicans continue to waste the time of our border security officials. Instead of pleasing their base with endless investigations, efforts to withhold vital funding from Border Patrol, and anti-immigrant policies, Republicans should address the dysfunction in their conference and do their duty to keep the government -- and the critical functions of the Department of Homeland Security -- open."

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