It has been more than two months since we entered fiscal year 2020, and not a single full-year appropriations bill has been completed. Moreover, I have yet to see evidence that we’re any closer to resolving this issue. Despite my opposition to using continuing resolutions to manage our government, Congress passed another continuing resolution just before Thanksgiving to extend funding to Dec. 20 at fiscal year 2019 levels. Kicking this can further down the road hurts our military, ports, infrastructure investments, and borders.

I recently participated in a congressional delegation to McAllen, Texas, and our southern border in the Rio Grande Valley to gain firsthand knowledge of the security and humanitarian crisis. What I learned from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Department of Homeland Security personnel is that they need more funding. The continuing resolution only exasperates the situation.