Tag Archives: senator john cornyn

WASHINGTON – Monday on the floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) discussed his visits to El Paso and Odessa after last month’s shootings and urged his Senate colleagues to come together on solutions.

Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s floor remarks are below, and video can be found above.

“In a community as tight-knit as El Paso, the devastation was immeasurable.”

“The day after the shooting, I visited El Paso and met with several of the victims as well as the law enforcement officers responding to the tragedy.”

“Less than a month later, we experienced another shooting.”

“I had the pleasure of thanking the men and women in blue, our law enforcement officers, for their quick response in Odessa and thanked them for the work they do every day.”

“The question is, of course, how did this happen? How can we prevent it from happening again?”

“I’ve been speaking with my constituents as well as colleagues here in the Senate over the last few weeks about what legislative solutions might look like. And I do expect us to have a wide-ranging debate on the subject in the coming days.”

“In the case of the Fix NICS Act, it was able to become law because it had broad support from Republicans and Democrats as well as the President, so this will guide my approach again.”

“I’m not interested in scoring political points or introducing bills so we can pat ourselves on the back and run our next campaign on it. I’m actually interested in trying to solve the problem and saving lives in the process. That’s what we did on the Fix NICS Act.”

“We owe it to all of them and to ourselves to work on solutions to prevent more communities from experiencing these type of tragedies.”

WASHINGTON – Wednesday on the floor of the Senate U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) called on Democrats to support a real solution to the humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border, like his HUMANE Act.

Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s floor remarks are below:

“First, we need to get additional funding to the departments and agencies that are trying to manage this crisis and care for the migrants in their custody.”

“Without action here in Congress, funding could dry up by the end of this month, creating an even more dire situation.”

“But that’s not a fix. That’s a patch. Any sort of lasting change cannot be solved by a funding bill or by tariffs. It has to be solved by something only Congress can do, by passing legislation that addresses the root of the problem.”

“The HUMANE Act is bipartisan, it’s bicameral, and it would provide real relief for folks in Texas and other border states who are struggling to manage the crisis.”

“I know most of our Congressional Democratic friends have adopted the posture of reflexively standing against the President on anything and everything that he asks for.”

“I think this is a much better solution than tariffs on Mexican goods brought into the United States.”

“I would urge all my colleagues to take a serious look at the HUMANE Act so we can finally do our part, that only we in Congress can do, to stem the flow of Central American migrants who are flooding our borders and prevent criminals and human smugglers from infiltrating our country as they are doing now.”

Background on the HUMANE Act:

Improving Care of Children and Families at the Border:

• Requires DHS to keep families together during court proceedings and provide additional standards of care for families being held in DHS facilities*
• Improves Due Process for unaccompanied children and family units by prioritizing their claims for relief in immigration courts.
• Provides safeguards to prevent unaccompanied children from being placed in the custody of dangerous individuals.
• Requires DHS to continually update their regulations to prevent and combat sexual abuse and assault in DHS facilities.
• Fixes a loophole in current law to allow unaccompanied children from non-contiguous countries to be voluntarily reunited with their families in their home country.*
• Clarifies that the Flores settlement agreement applies to unaccompanied children apprehended at the border.

Streamlining Processing and Increasing Resources at Ports of Entry:

• Mandates the hiring of additional DHS personnel, upgrades and modernization of our nation’s ports of entry to expedite legitimate trade and travel.
• Improves processing of humanitarian relief claims by requiring certain applications take place at designated ports of entry.*
• Requires DHS to establish four or more Regional Processing Centers in high-traffic areas to process and house family units in a humane environment.*
• Requires the Executive Office for Immigration Review to assign at least two immigration judges to each of the Regional Processing Centers that DHS is required to establish along the southern border.
• Mandates a strategy and implementation plan from the Department of State regarding foreign engagement with Central American nations.

*Recommendation of the bipartisan DHS Homeland Security Advisory Council

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees.

WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, during National Police Week, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) announced that he has introduced the Back the Blue Act. 

The bill would increase penalties against criminals who intentionally target law enforcement officers and provide new tools for officers to protect themselves.

Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s floor remarks are below, and video can be found here.

“This legislation sends a strong message to the more than 900,000 law enforcement officers serving in our country that we support them and we will not tolerate any act of violence against them, period. In recent years we’ve seen brutal, inexcusable attacks on law enforcement officers across the United States, including one in Texas that entirely rocked our state.”

“This bill makes clear our support for these public servants who dedicate their lives to protecting and serving us.”

Background on the Back the Blue Act:

Strengthens Laws to Protect Police Officers

• Creates a new federal crime for killing, attempting to kill, or conspiring to kill a federal judge, federal law enforcement officer, or federally funded public safety officer. The offender would be subject to the death penalty and a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years if death results; the offender would otherwise face a minimum sentence of 10 years.
• Creates a new federal crime for assaulting a federally funded law enforcement officer with escalating penalties, including mandatory minimums, based on the extent of any injury and the use of a dangerous weapon. However, no prosecution can be commenced absent certification by the Attorney General that prosecution is appropriate.
• Creates a new federal crime for interstate flight from justice to avoid prosecution for killing, attempting to kill, or conspiring to kill a federal judge, federal law enforcement officer, or federally funded public safety officer. The offender would be subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for this offense.

Creates a Specific Aggravating Factor for Federal Death Penalty Prosecutions

• Clarifies that the murder or attempted murder of a law enforcement officer or first responder is a statutory aggravating favor for purposes of the federal death penalty.

Limits Federal Habeas Relief for Murders of Law Enforcement Officers

• Imposes time limits and substantive limits on federal courts’ review of challenges to state-court convictions for crimes involving the murder of a public safety officer, when the public safety officer was engaged in the performance of official duties or on account of the performance of official duties. These changes are consistent with the fast-track procedures created in 1996, which are applied to federal death penalty cases.

Limits Recovery of Certain Damages and Fees for Individuals Engaged in Felonies

• Limits the type of civil damages and attorney’s fees recoverable by a criminal as a result of purported injuries incurred during the commission of a felony or crime of violence.

Expands Self-Defense and Second Amendment Rights for Law Enforcement Officers

• Allows law enforcement officers, subject to limited regulation, to carry firearms into federal facilities and other jurisdictions where such possession is otherwise prohibited.

Opens Up Funding to Strengthen Relationships Between Police and Communities

• Expands opportunities to use grant funding to promote trust and improve relations between law enforcement and the communities they serve

WASHINGTON – As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) held a hearing to highlight the humanitarian and security crisis at the southern border and his new legislation, the HUMANE Act, to address it.

Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s opening remarks are below, and video can be found above.

“The situation unfolding on our southern border is grim. A major increase in unlawful border crossings combined with a drastic shift in migration trends and outdated laws and infrastructure has placed an incredibly great strain on law enforcement, on our legal system, and local border communities.”

“Yet, there are those who still here in Washington choose to ignore the gravity of the situation, or worse, to label it as fake or manufactured.”

“While some may think that the situation is manageable and that time is on our side, I think they’re ignoring reality and I disagree. And I know many of my constituents in Texas feel the same. We’re on the front lines of this, and we’re simply not set up, manned, nor do we have the capacity to absorb this huge wave of human migration coming in all at one time.”

“In response to this worsening situation, last week I, along with my colleague from Laredo, Texas, Congressman Henry Cuellar, a Democrat, introduced the HUMANE Act. The HUMANE Act is, as you can see, a bipartisan, bicameral solution to make the practical necessary reforms to address the loopholes in our laws, ensure that families stay together, and better protect unaccompanied children released from HHS custody. We also adopt several recommendations from the bipartisan DHS Homeland Security Advisory Council, including the establishment of regional processing centers along the border and needed streamlining of processing claims.”

“I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to work with us to try to solve this problem. We need to quit looking at this through a political lens or wait to try to solve what else is broken and needs to be fixed in our immigration system.”

***

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees.

WASHINGTON – On Monday, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) discussed the conclusion of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and urged Attorney General William Barr to release as much of the findings to the public as possible under the law.

Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s floor remarks are below, and video can be found above.

“Any attempts by a foreign government to interfere with our democratic processes, successful or unsuccessful, must not be taken lightly. Though the Special Counsel’s investigation was very targeted and specific, members of the Senate Intelligence Committee on which I serve continue our work to more closely examine the matter”

“After reviewing the Special Counsel’s findings, the attorney general concluded that the Trump campaign did not coordinate with the Russian government in their efforts to influence the election. Based on the reaction since General Barr’s release of his letter, it’s clear that the partisans who will never be satisfied with any results of an investigation will not be appeased by this report from the Special Counsel.”

“I agree with those on both sides of the aisle as well as the president who want the Mueller report to be released publicly. As much of the report as can be released consistent with existing law should be made public so that the American people can read it for themselves.”

***

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees.

WASHINGTON – Thursday on the floor of the Senate, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) discussed his vote against the Democrats’ attempt to block the President from securing the border and called on Congress to reform the National Emergencies Act.

Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s floor remarks are below, and video can be found above. 

“As I’ve said in the past, I’ll repeat again: what we are doing here today is no one’s first choice.”

“The refusal of Democrats in the House and the Senate to engage in negotiations on border security funding has led us to a 35-day government shutdown. Despite the clear message from border security experts, despite seeing the humanitarian crisis at the border described by President Obama in 2014 get many times worse, our Democratic colleagues decided to play politics instead of dealing with the problem.”

“My preference would be for the normal appropriations process to be used. But when your negotiating partners refuse to take a seat at the table, normal goes out the window. Our colleagues across the aisle left the president with few options to fund what he believed were so important for the nation’s security, and that’s what led us to this situation.”

“It’s clear that the president is operating within the authority that Congress has given to him. You don’t have to like it. You don’t have to agree with it. But it’s clear that the president is operating within the authority Congress delegated to him.”

“I believe there’s a need to rein back in some of the authority that Congress has delegated to presidents, just as an institutional concern, as a constitutional matter. Which I am cosponsoring a bill that has been introduced by our colleague, Senator Lee, which gives Congress a stronger voice in processes under the National Emergencies Act.”

“I think this is an honest and important effort to hopefully help us prevent us from ending up in this predicament in the future.”

“The terrain and the 1,200-mile border between Texas and Mexico vary significantly.”

“What works well in one sector does not work well in another. And what I continue to hear from my constituents, including elected officials at the border, that if this is the border patrol telling us what they need in order to succeed to do the job we have asked them to do, we’re all in.”

“I think we need to take action to adequately fund our border security missions, and I hope our discussions in the coming months will be more productive than they have been so far this year. I will vote against the resolution of disapproval today and encourage my colleagues to instead focus our energy on reforming the legislation that got us into this situation to begin with.”

***

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees.

During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) delivered remarks on Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) response to human trafficking and illegal immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video can be found above.

“We know that CBP is facing unprecedented challenges today, and I applaud your efforts as well as the men and women who work with you who are on the front lines of this challenge on a daily basis.”

“We see hashtags that call what the president and others have described as a ‘fake emergency’ at the border. But in order to believe that there’s a fake emergency at the border, you have to be blind to the facts or simply unwilling to listen.”

“I feel particularly strongly about this topic because of where I live and the state I represent. We have 1,200 miles of common border with Mexico.”

“As you know, Mr. Commissioner, CBP announced that more than 76,000 people crossed the border in February alone. 76,000 in one month. This is the largest monthly total in more than a decade.”

“Compared to this time last year, family unit apprehensions have increased 209 percent in the Rio Grande Valley sector. Family unit apprehensions have increased 497 percent in the Del Rio sector. And most staggering, in the El Paso sector, overall apprehensions have increased 434 percent while family unit apprehensions have increased an incredible 1,639 percent.”

“This is not a crisis, people say?”

“I hear absolutely no suggestions from our Democratic friends on how to deal with the causes of these problems.”

 ***

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees.

###

WASHINGTON – On the floor of the U.S. Senate, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) discussed the government shutdown and the need for bipartisan negotiation on legislation the president would support.

Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s floor remarks are below, and video can be found here.

“One of the most important responsibilities of Congress is to fund the vital services provided by our government, and in so doing, provide paychecks to the hardworking public servants who keep the cogs of government turning.”

“This semantic debate has led us to a partial government shutdown now 13 days in without a clear end in sight.”

“Later, the House Democrats will consider a wholly unserious proposal that funds the remaining portions of government without a significant investment in border security. I believe that’s a nonstarter. They know it, and we know it. The president won’t sign it, and so the Majority Leader has said it will not be considered here in the Senate.”

“My constituents… they’re not interested in show votes. They want real border security, something our Democratic colleagues used to support and have voted for time and time again.”

“But the debate has somehow shifted from, ‘How do we solve this problem?’ to ‘Who’s going to win?’ No longer is it a search for solutions. It is about embarrassing your political opponent and scoring points.”

“Rather than working with those with whom we occasionally disagree, members are resorting to guerrilla warfare, almost literally the law of the jungle. This practice is not only unproductive, it prevents us from securing the border and getting those workers impacted by this partial shutdown back to work.”

“It’s going to take a negotiated agreement between the parties, between the houses of Congress, and the president.”

“Democrats in the House should take our colleagues’ wise words to heart and return to the negotiating table with the president.”

“It’s time to wash off the war paint, Madam President. We know how to solve problems when we want to. And as we begin a new Congress, I urge all of our colleagues, both Republican and Democrat, to stop trying to score political points and start being productive and in so doing, govern.”

***

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees.

WASHINGTON – On Thursday on the floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) discussed the migrant crisis at our Southern border. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s floor remarks are below, and video can be found above.

“Coming from Texas, with a 1,200 mile common border with Mexico, caravans are not unheard of. In fact, we have many caravans showing up on a daily basis at border patrol stations: unaccompanied children, families. What has happened is that the cartels – these transnational criminal organizations that have figured out as part of their business model that they can make money by shipping migrants up through Mexico into the United States, or ship drugs up from Mexico into the United States, or traffic in children and women for sex slavery – they figured out they can make money because of the gaps in our border security, because of the characteristics of our law that make it impossible for us to deter many of the immigrants coming from Central America.”

“This is a phenomenon that has been occurring on a daily basis for the foreseeable past, and it’s because of a glitch in our laws that our Democratic colleagues are well aware of, that we’ve tried to fix. But they simply will not cooperate with us in order to fix them.”

“About 40 percent of my constituents in Texas are of a Hispanic origin, many of whom live along that international border, who understand that the cartels that traffic in people, and drugs, and contraband are criminal organizations that threaten their security and safety. So I feel very strongly about this issue.”

“We can’t forget that our border communities are critically important, and any solution we find must somehow balance our normal compassion for people who are vulnerable and people who are seeking a better life, balancing that compassion with the rule of law and our ability to protect our own sovereignty by securing our borders and controlling illegal immigration into the United States.”

“In the coming weeks, I hope we can work with the Administration to determine a course of action that addresses the real needs of legitimate asylum seekers without rewarding illegal activity.”

“We need to send a message that the United States alone cannot bear the burden of this mass migration, and we need to ensure that those who seek to enter the United States do so legally.”

***

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees.

WASHINGTON –On the floor of the Senate Chambers, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) discussed Friday’s successful vote to advance Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, and detailed the shameful tactics used by Democrats to derail and destroy his nomination.

Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s floor remarks are below, and video can be found above, courtesy CSpan.

“What the Senate just voted for was to end the games, character assassination, and the intimidation tactics that unfortunately have characterized so much of this confirmation process.”

“The FBI investigation was a useful way to demonstrate to the American people that none of these allegations that have been made against Judge Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct have been proven.”

“There have been seven background investigations by the FBI of Judge Kavanaugh during his public service. The FBI has talked to more than 150 witnesses.”

“I feel badly for Dr. Ford in particular. She wanted none of this three-ring circus. She sent a letter to the ranking member and asked that her identity remain confidential, only to find, after the first confirmation hearing, that it was leaked to the press.”

“When we gave her an opportunity to have a bipartisan, professional investigation staff come out to California and interview her confidentially, she said, ‘nobody explained to me that was an option.’ Well, the lawyers that the ranking member referred her to apparently didn’t even tell their own client that she had the opportunity to avoid this three-ring circus.”

“We decided that Dr. Ford should be given an opportunity to tell her side of the story.”

“Throughout the hearing, we listened to Dr. Ford and we tried to understand what she was telling us.”

“We took her allegations seriously and treated her the same way we would want our wives or our daughters treated.”

“But we know at the end of the day there was no other witness who could corroborate or confirm what she said, even the ones she identified as having been present.”

“The other thing about these allegations made against Judge Kavanaugh is they are completely out of character.”

“We all had a chance to read the FBI report which failed to corroborate Dr. Ford’s allegations, and then today we did exactly what we needed to do, which is to vote. To stop the circus, stop the hijinks, stop the character assassination, and vote. So I’m glad our colleagues decided to close off debate.”

***

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees.

Tuesday on the floor of the Senate Chambers, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) called for a fair process ahead of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh this week.

Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s floor remarks are below, and video can be found above.

“We need a fair process. We need not to assume somebody is guilty because an allegation has been made.”

“I firmly believe that a fair process means that both the accuser and the accused should be required to provide information to the Congress, to the Senate, to the Judiciary Committee under the same conditions.”

“We have really done everything we possibly can, acceded to every reasonable demand being made by Dr. Ford and her lawyers, to give her an opportunity to be heard. We welcome – we welcome – her testimony, and we will listen to her at the hearing.”

“So far this process has been patently unfair, both to Dr. Ford and to Judge Kavanaugh.”

“As a result of the way this was handled by the ranking member, her letter, which she requested remain confidential, and her complaint, which she requested remain anonymous, was leaked to the press, a media firestorm ensued, and I’m confident this is not what Dr. Ford wanted.”

“It’s important that Dr. Ford be given the chance to talk about what she believes happened to her. We are in the middle of an important national conversation about sexual assault and how certain people in positions of power wield their influence to coerce and intimidate women, in the workplace and at large.”

“The chairman of the Judiciary Committee, I believe, has done an extraordinary job under very difficult circumstances. He has been extraordinarily gracious in trying to accommodate Dr. Ford.”

“Let’s not lose sight of why Judge Kavanaugh was nominated in the first place: his qualifications and the respect that he enjoys from all of those who have interacted with him professionally and personally. His work has been praised by legal practitioners and scholars alike.”

“We will try our best to get to the truth this week. We will listen carefully. But we will remember all of the evidence, and then we will vote on whether to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court.”

Then, at a press conference, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) stressed the importance of a fair process in advance of this week’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video can be found here.

“As the father of two adult daughters, as I’m approaching this hearing, I’m thinking, ‘I want to make sure I treat Dr. Ford the same way my daughters would be treated in the event they were making an accusation, or my mother, or my wife.’ To me that’s, I think, the appropriate way for me to think about it.” 

“So I think that’s important to keep in mind, that we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the way that this letter was mishandled, and we must insist on a fair process for everyone involved.”

***

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees.

WASHINGTON – Thursday morning on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) called on the Senate to consider tougher sanctions on Russia.

Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s floor remarks are below, and video can be found above.

“My concern with this resolution is that it is purely a symbolic act.”

 “I think we should consider sanctions, not sort of sense of the Senate resolutions that have no sting or no impact, certainly no deterrent effect on what we all want to discourage, which is Russian involvement in our 2018 elections. And that’s why the Majority Leader today asked the Chairmen of the Banking and Foreign Relations Committee[s] to hold hearings and recommend additional measures that could respond to or deter Russian malign behavior.

“That’s the way we ought to do our work, through our committees of jurisdiction.”

***

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees.

WASHINGTON –Tueday on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) offered his support for President Trump’s recent military action against the Syrian regime in response to chemical attacks on innocent civilians.

Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video of his remarks can be found above

“This action demonstrates American leadership in the face of gross human rights violations. And as we all recall President Obama’s redline, which was not enforced, which, indeed, is a provocation in and of itself.”

“I’m glad this President has seen fit now, not just once but on two occasions, to punish the Syrian regime for such gross human rights violations. These actions are consistent with our values and the legal authorities provided to the president under the Constitution.”

“I want to offer my support for both the mission that was carried out and the underlying objective which was to degrade Syria’s capability to research, develop, and deploy chemical weapons, ones that have clearly done tremendous amounts of harm.”

“We’re grateful to our allies, Great Britain and France, who played a pivotal role in the mission and we’re also grateful to our uniformed military for its meticulous planning, flawless execution and courageous leadership.”

***

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees.