RANKING MEMBERS THOMPSON AND RASKIN ISSUE STATEMENT FOLLOWING NINTH AND FINAL VOLUNTARY TRANSCRIBED INTERVIEW WITH BORDER PATROL SECTOR LEADERSHIP

Statement

"Committee Republicans have now completed a six-month process of interviewing the leadership of all nine southwest Border Patrol sectors while forcing them away from their duty stations and important work. What we know is that, to the dismay of our colleagues, these interviews thoroughly debunked Republicans' false narratives about Border Patrol's work at the southern border. All nine chiefs made it clear that the men and women of the Border Patrol are working hard to fulfill its critical mission to secure the border and that the Biden-Harris Administration is providing them with the support and resources to do so.

Instead of actually governing and examining ways to assist our Border Patrol agents in their difficult work, our Republican colleagues have chosen to conduct this latest fruitless interview mere hours before the government will shut down under their putative leadership, preventing Border Patrol agents from receiving paychecks.

An extreme MAGA Republican government shutdown will have devastating consequences on Border Patrol and its law enforcement workforce. During a shutdown, Border Patrol's efforts to interview and vet migrants at the border will suffer and DHS headquarters may be unable to surge staff to the border as needed. Agents will also be forced to work without pay and may have to rely on community assistance for food and basic necessities.

After months of interviews, it is abundantly clear that this investigation has been nothing more than a fishing expedition searching for any basis to impeach Secretary Mayorkas. It has been a resounding failure and Republicans have come up emptyhanded. It's time for Republicans to end their partisan and baseless investigations and focus on our duties to the American people, starting with keeping the government open."

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