WORKING ACROSS THE AISLE

WORKING ACROSS THE AISLE

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 42 (Thursday, March 5, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 42 (Thursday, March 5, 2026)] [House] [Page H2423] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] WORKING ACROSS THE AISLE (Mr. Hoyer of Maryland was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, this has been a historic week in many ways. We have significant disagreements in this House. I rose a few days ago to say to all the House Members on both sides of the aisle that we ought to move on behalf of the American people legislation and policies on which we agree and not allow them to be lost or unaddressed because of the fact that we have other matters on which we disagree. That is a successful strategy for families, for human beings, for business, and for life, to not allow the things on which we disagree be an impediment to moving us forward on things we can agree on. I rise this morning because we are going to have two items about which I am greatly concerned on the floor today. Actually, one of them will be on the floor and one will not. I am concerned about the one that will be, and I am concerned about the one that will not. I want to speak briefly about them. We will be considering a bill on the floor today that will fund the Department of Homeland Security. There is within that bill two items on which the parties disagree. There are also within that bill literally a score, twoscore, perhaps threescore on which we agree. Those items will affect whether or not we pay people who are working for the Federal Government and for the American people. A number of them are very important items. One is the TSA, the Transportation Security Agency, which we all see at airports. As far as I can tell, everybody in this House, all 435, believe they ought to be paid. We will have on the sea surrounding our country and perhaps in other places, the Coast Guard patrolling for the sanctity of our borders, for the safety of our mariners, and for the safety both of commercial and noncommercial vessels. There is also an agency within the Department of Homeland Security called the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which responds to jurisdictions and to people when disasters occur causing great damage to communities and to people. As far as I can tell, everybody is for funding that agency. The Secret Service, particularly at a time of war but at all times, has a very difficult job. They are called essential employees. They are working now, but they are not being paid. As far as I can tell, everybody in the House believes they ought to be paid. Now we have a disagreement over the way that the ICE, otherwise known as the immigration service, is handling its work, its duties. Some of us believe that they are doing things that are outside the boundary of the Constitution, the laws of our country and our States, and the norms of police activity. It is a significant, important difference of opinion that ought to be argued, that ought to be resolved, and we resolve things through a vote on this floor. The Border Patrol is also involved not at the border but in the interior of our country. That is not usual and it has resulted, in the opinion of some of us, in the taking of American lives inconsistent with the safety of American citizens and inconsistent with the norms of police work in America in our counties and in our cities and in our States. Madam Speaker, in conclusion, I hope that we will vote on a motion to recommit which funds all of the Federal employees in question and represents honestly to the American people that the customs agency and ICE are already funded and were funded at the beginning of this year. ____________________