January 19, 2019

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Castro Response to President Trump’s Speech

WASHINGTON—Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, today issued the following statement after President Trump offered to end the government shutdown in exchange for $5.7 billion for President Trump’s border wall and temporary protection for some DACA and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients:

“The President must reopen the government to allow federal workers to get back to work and support their families.  After we have returned to normal operations, then both parties can work together to address what additional border security measures are needed.

"The President’s announcement today falls flat and includes the same wasteful, ineffective and unpopular $5.7 billion wall demand that shut down the government in the first place. Further, the President’s offer is similar to previous proposals that included temporary DACA protections and that the President killed last Congress. The fact is that the President and Republicans have had two years to address border security measures and work with Democrats to permanently protect Dreamers, instead they chose to shut down the government over a border wall that most Americans oppose.

"It is shameful that families have gone nearly a month without a paycheck because of the government shutdown and the best President Trump can do is hastily announce a press conference to announce a proposal that has been previously rejected.”

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The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), founded in December 1976, is organized as a Congressional Member organization, governed under the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives. The CHC is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics in the United States, Puerto Rico and U.S. Territories.