In Case You Missed It, this week, Senator Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) discussed the urgent need for action on border security and called out her Republican colleagues for refusing to move forward with the bipartisan Border Act to crack down on drug trafficking and support law enforcement at the southern border.
KSNV: Senator Cortez Masto pushes to pass border security bill
U.S. Senators are holding another vote on a bipartisan border bill that failed just a few months ago. Looks like it’s going to fail again. Negotiators from both parties worked together on this bill. It would enforce tougher asylum standards and a border shut down trigger mechanism.
Republicans tanked it after former president Donald Trump called it a bad bill, some saying he doesn’t want to fix the border before the election and wants to use it as a campaign issue. Republicans are vowing to tank it again…
U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto out of Las Vegas disagrees.
Cortez Masto said, “My colleagues go to the floor and talk about needing to do something at the border. I went to the border and heard from law enforcement. We need to do something and promised them that we would. This is the legislation to do it. So, if my Republican colleagues who have been claiming that they want to do something at the board refuse to even do this, what does that say to those people at the border? That you’d rather play politics with this? So, they can give a win to Donald Trump and not really address what we’re seeing at the border.”
KOLO (Broadcast)
And, Senate Democrats are now responding after today’s failed vote on the border bill. The legislation was slated to provide more money for Customs and Border Protection officials, asylum officers, immigration judges and scanning technology at the border.
All things that officials have said the underfunded immigration and border protection system needs. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto says ‘it’s disheartening’ to see the actions of former President Donald Trump having such a major influence on GOP lawmakers.
Cortez Masto said, “To me, this is absolutely outrageous. We are sent here in Congress to solve problems, to address the issues that the American public wants us to address, and we should not be beholden to any one person, particularly on issues that fall within our jurisdiction.”
The measure failed earlier this year after former President Donald Trump told GOP lawmakers to knock it down.
KLAS (Broadcast)
Congress once again failing to pass a vote on securing the southern border and clamp down on the number of people seeking asylum. This time of the bill failed 43 to 50. Nevada Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto telling 8 News Now after the vote that she is frustrated with the action.
Cortez Masto said, “The burden is on Congress, and it is our role to do this. That’s why I’m frustrated because unfortunately, too many of my colleagues instead of taking that role very seriously and wanting to solve these problems, they’d rather play politics with it.”
KTVN (Broadcast)
The bipartisan border act failed in the Senate for the second time today. Proponents of the bill say it would’ve prevented drug trafficking across the southern border. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto says she been trying to reduce the amount of illicit drugs coming into the U.S. ever since she was elected Attorney General in 2006.
Senator Cortez Masto said, “What I was hearing from the men and women at the border, when I went to the Tucson sector at the southwest border, is that they were overwhelmed and understaffed. And, they need more resources to be able to address the drug trafficking that’s coming across the border… the human trafficking and the weapons trafficking.”
Senator Cortez Masto says this bipartisan bill would’ve also helped U.S. Customs and Border protection reduce the amount of fentanyl [coming across the border].
KRXI (Broadcast)
U.S. senators are holding another vote on the bipartisan border bill that failed just a few months ago, and it looks like it’s going to fail again. Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto shares her frustrations…
Cortez Masto said, “I was so pleased that there’s this bipartisan legislation to actually address [border security] needs. Unfortunately, it’s not moving forward because any Republicans that wanted to support it, Donald Trump came out and said “don’t do it”… [Trump] is playing politics with it instead of focused on what the needs are from our law enforcement at the border.”
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