U.S. Tennessee Congressman and chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security Mark Green (R-TN-07) condemned Democrats for “abruptly” deciding not to participate in this week’s field hearing in Texas on the U.S.-Mexico border crisis.
“It’s deeply disappointing that the minority members of the Committee have chosen to bail on this week’s full committee field hearing in Texas, only after they invited and confirmed a minority witness for one of the panels,” Green reportedly said in a statement. “The only message their absence sends is that they are uninterested in coming to the table to have a conversation about the devastation that this border crisis is having on Americans and their communities across the country.”
“We will continue to encourage our Democrat colleagues to get out of the DC echo chamber and meet Americans where they are to discuss the biggest issues facing them,” Green added.
The Committee on Homeland Security’s field hearing entitled, “Failure By Design: Examining Secretary Mayorkas’ Border Crisis,” will take place Wednesday in McAllen, Texas, and will hear from:
- The Honorable Raul L. Ortiz: Chief of U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- Steven W. Cagan: Assistant Director, Countering Transnational Organized Crime Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- Colonel Steven C. McCraw: Director, Texas Department of Public Safety
- Sheriff Brad Coe: Kinney County, Texas
- Chris Cabrera: Vice President, National Border Patrol Council
Democrat Ranking Member of the committee Bennie Thompson (D-MS-02) defended his party’s absence from the field hearing by saying, “Unfortunately, it has become clear that Republicans planned to politicize this event from the start, breaking with the Committee’s proud history of bipartisanship.”
Thompson stated that the Democrat representatives not attending this week’s field hearing will “be taking substantive site visits to the border – including as soon as this week.”
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
