Joyce Answers POTUS’ Call for Bipartisanship, Votes to Secure Borders and Avoid Another Unnecessary Shutdown

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Dave Joyce (OH-14) issued the following statement after voting for the government funding and border security package, which passed the House by a vote of 300 to 128 and previously passed the Senate by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 83 to 16.  The bill now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

“For decades, partisan politics have prevented us from taking the necessary steps to address many of the challenges facing our nation. As the President said in his State of the Union address last week, now is the time for bipartisan action.

“That’s why, tonight I voted for the bipartisan conference report that not only avoids another unnecessary government shutdown, but also delivers another down payment on the President’s commitment to strengthening border security and addressing the humanitarian crisis at our southern border. I’m pleased that the legislation provides $22.5 billion to secure our border, including funding for additional physical infrastructure the experts at our border have told us they need, new technology to combat human and drug trafficking and more judges to battle the backlog of pending immigration cases. This is a critical step in the right direction.

“While the funding measure is not perfect, failing to come to an agreement and perpetuating the security and humanitarian crisis at our southern border was not an option. If the consequences of the recent shutdown have taught us anything, it’s that we cannot continue to shy away from compromise. I look forward to continuing to work to strengthen our border security further and end the suffering that has gone on far too long because of our inability to work across the aisle to address our broken immigration system.”

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