WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) joined her colleagues on the Democrats for Border Security Task Force to urge House Leadership and Speaker Mike Johnson to bring a bipartisan border security bill to the House Floor. A bipartisan package to bring reforms and security at the U.S.’ southern border has been proposed and negotiated in the Senate, but House Leadership refuses to bring the bill to the Floor.

“If, you know me. I'm very, very reticent to speak about things in a partisan manner, but I have been left with absolutely no choice,” said Houahan. “Truly, Speaker Johnson has given me no choice here. He needs to find the courage to take his cues from the American people and from the Congress that he leads, bipartisanly, to let us vote on these bills. Let us remember the souls, both the migrants’ souls and the American souls whose lives collide every day at the border. And I again urge my Republican leadership, our Republican leadership, to bring a comprehensive bipartisan border bill to the House floor.”

Full transcript of Rep. Houlahan’s remarks:

“Thank you, Mike, and thank you to everyone to be standing here. I think you can see that in the time we've stood here, we could have voted for and passed the Senate's legislation. So like so many Americans, I am also angry. I'm super frustrated, and I'm heartbroken for what continues to happen at our southwestern border. There were 3.2 million encounters alone in Fiscal Year 23 at that border.

And we can all see the national security implications with that number. In fact, I also had the opportunity to visit the border last month. And I can tell you, as many of my colleagues already have, that our system is indeed broken, but that it can be repaired. I saw the effects of important changes that we have made since we joined Congress.

Many of us here are from the class of 2018 and we've been able to see some of the progress that we have made. But there still is an enormous amount to be done, not just to make places clean and humane, but rather to actually fix the system itself. There's a lot of work to be done, which is why it's really hard to find the right words.

And I think you've heard them repeatedly from my colleagues about my profound disappointment and my profound anger at the brazen dysfunction of the Republican-led House when it comes to immigration reform and border security. And if, you know me, I'm very, very reticent to speak about things in a partisan manner, but I have been left with absolutely no choice.

Truly, Speaker Johnson has given me no choice here. He needs to find the courage to take his cues from the American people and from the Congress that he leads, bipartisanly, to let us vote on these bills. Let us remember the souls, both the migrants souls and the American souls whose lives collide every day at the border. And I again urge my Republican leadership, our Republican leadership, to bring a comprehensive bipartisan border bill to the House floor.

It is possible. It is possible, and we just need to act. It's my privilege now to introduce Representative Gabe Vasquez to the stage.”

Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, an engineer, a serial entrepreneur, an educator, and a nonprofit leader. She represents Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses Chester County and southern Berks County. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. She is the recipient of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award which “recognizes members who demonstrate the bipartisan leadership and constructive governing necessary to move our country forward” and the Congressional Management Foundation’s 2022 Democracy Award for best Constituent Services in Congress.

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