The crisis at the southern border demands congressional attention and action. Last week, after months of political rhetoric, we finally took an important step to provide critical funding necessary to address the humanitarian crisis. While I am pleased that Congress acted, the road that we took to get here is concerning given what was hanging in the balance. I was pleased to be able to support the bill, but there is much more work to be done.

In May, the Trump Administration requested $4.5 billion to fund humanitarian assistance at the border, including funds to increase shelter capacity, feed and care for migrants in custody, and increase the bed capacity at several detention facilities.

None of these funds were for building a wall or any kind of physical barrier along the southern border -- they were solely for humanitarian aid.

Perhaps unsurprisingly -- given the disdain Democrats have for the President -- House Democrats refused to give the Administration the necessary funding. Instead, they blamed the President for the terrible conditions at the border that some Democrats once called a “manufactured crisis.” The disappointing truth is that what we face today is due, in large part, to their failure to engage in meaningful discussions back in May.

Even early last week, House Democrats were still playing politics while lives were hanging in the balance. Despite knowing that it had no chance of passing the Senate, they pushed a bill that would have limited the authority of the Department of Homeland Security to send more employees to the border, cut overtime payments for officers, and provide no funds to investigate human traffickers smuggling minors across the border. The bill also failed to provide funds for additional immigration judges or attorneys, courtrooms, or equipment. 

Thankfully, the Senate overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan emergency supplemental bill designed to address the humanitarian crisis at the border. The bill gives the men and women serving our country at the border the funding, resources, and authority necessary to perform their duties. It also includes funding for additional immigration judge teams to adjudicate court cases in an expeditious manner to reduce the ever-ballooning backlog; funding to fully pay ICE officers for their work and for the Department of Homeland Security to expand counter-human trafficking operations; and funding to expand Health and Human Services’ shelter capacity for services to ensure the safety and well-being of children once they have been released.

While it is not perfect, it is a step forward. I am pleased that most of my House colleagues eventually put politics aside and passed it. For those who did not support it to make some sort of a political statement, I would remind them doing nothing -- regardless of the reason -- is at the expense of the health and safety of those who hurt the most. In this case, something is better than nothing.

My trip to the border in June confirmed that the border crisis cannot be a partisan issue. This is not about a border wall; it is about the thousands of migrants illegally crossing our border every day and our Americans workers who are doing what they can with the insufficient resources they have to safely detain and process those crossing. They need additional funding for facilities, beds, and food. They need additional funding for basic resources and equipment to do their jobs. The conditions I witnessed at the border were shameful. 

Congress’ first step towards addressing the crisis at our border was a reasonable one. I was glad to be able to support it, but there is so much more to be done.