Pelosi Statement on Trump Speech

January 19, 2019

San Francisco — Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued this statement in advance of the President’s address:

“Democrats were hopeful that the President was finally willing to re-open government and proceed with a much-needed discussion to protect the border.

“Unfortunately, initial reports make clear that his proposal is a compilation of several previously rejected initiatives, each of which is unacceptable and in total, do not represent a good faith effort to restore certainty to people’s lives. It is unlikely that any one of these provisions alone would pass the House, and taken together, they are a non-starter. For one thing, this proposal does not include the permanent solution for the Dreamers and TPS recipients that our country needs and supports.

“Democrats support smart, effective border security solutions:

Increased infrastructure investments at our ports of entry including additional ports and roads;

Advanced technology to scan for drugs, weapons and contraband where the vast majority of drugs come in to our country and advanced technology to detect unauthorized crossings;

More customs personnel including filling the more than 3,000 customs and border patrol vacancies; and

More immigration judges.

“Next week, Democrats will pass a package of six bills agreed to by House and Senate negotiators and other legislation to re-open government so that we can fully negotiate on border security proposals.

“The President must sign these bills to re-open government immediately and stop holding the American people hostage with this senseless shutdown. Each day he prolongs this needless crisis, Coast Guardsmen, FBI agents, border patrol officers, TSA agents, and hundreds of thousands more workers are forced to live without knowing how they can feed their families or pay their bills.

“The President has taken pride in shutting down government. Now, he must take action to open up government.”