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Rep. Susie Lee’s Statement on Border Security Funding Compromise, Trump’s Declaring a State of Emergency

February 14, 2019

Washington, DC – Tonight, after weeks of negotiations by leaders of both parties in both Chambers, Rep. Susie Lee joined her colleagues in voting to pass a smart, strong, bipartisan, bicameral compromise bill that secures our borders and avoids a second unnecessary shutdown. Just hours before the scheduled vote, President Trump announced his plans to declare a state of emergency, ignoring the work by members in both parties and Chambers.

Rep. Susie Lee released the following statement:

"Congressional members of both parties came together, found common ground, and produced a compromise to avoid yet another unnecessary shutdown. This was the right thing to do. This deal provides money for smart, effective border security that will help keep our country safe. I applaud leaders on both sides of the aisle for working to get this deal done and hope that now we can move on to passing legislation that improves the lives of Nevadans, like lowering health care costs, tackling student loan debt, and improving access to mental health services and job training for our veterans.

"However, I am disappointed by the President's decision tonight. Declaring a state of emergency to fulfill an unrealistic and exaggerated campaign promise is a gross and unprecedented abuse of power and a massive misuse of resources that should be used to fund legitimate disaster relief and national security needs. Republicans and Democrats made a good faith effort to compromise on a deal that includes funding for border security. This is a slap in the face of bipartisanship."