Speech #1090129441

English. there is one flag. there is one National anthem. there is one set of values. We have got to work to get that through. That was the story that came through so passionately on this floor earlier today with the story of the contributions of the Japanese Americans. because it says we are a country of immigrants. But on this issue. we want people to be legal. to pay their taxes and work hard the American way. learn our language. learn our values. as everybody else did. But the most important thing before we get to all that point is to secure our borders. I want to just mention quite quickly what we Democrats are doing. because a lot of times when we come up here and we talk. we talk about what the Republicans and the President are doing. Here is what I want the American people to understand. what we are doing on border security. E] 2330 On border security. since 9/11 House Democrats have repeatedly tried to increase appropriations for border security. For example. Representative DAVID OBEY. our senior Member on Appropriations offered a motion to recommit the conference report on the fiscal year 2005 supplemental appropriations bill with instructions to add $284 million to fund an additional 550 border patrol agents. That is securing your border. And also an additional 200 immigration agents. That is dealing with the immigration problem where it counts. and border aerial vehicles. using our technology. But Republicans defeated that motion to recommit by a vote of 201225. Senate Democrats on the other side. as far as border security. Senate Democrats have also repeatedly fought to increase the border security appropriations. Senator ROBERT BYRD of West Virginia offered an amendment to the fiscal year 2005 supplemental appropriations bill to increase funding for border security by $390 million. providing for the hiring of additional border patrol agents and the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles. With support from 21 Republicans. Democrats succeeded in adopting the Byrd amendment by a vote of 6534. That is what I said earlier. It is not just a Democratic fight. there are Republicans who are working with us on this. However. most of this additional border security funding was removed by the Republicans in conference. That is why when you look at the polls. when you look at what the American people are seeing. it is not just us here. The American people are not dumb.