WATCH: Kelly Speaks on Senate Floor Three Weeks After Senate Republicans Turned Their Backs on Arizona’s Border Crisis

Today, in a speech on the Senate floor, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly highlighted the consequences of Senate Republicans walking away from a bipartisan agreement that would have provided desperately needed resources and policy changes to fix the border. Kelly emphasized that, after Republicans turned their back on the border crisis, Arizona communities continue to bear the burden of Washington’s inaction. 

“A group of House Republicans came to my state for what they called a “fact finding tour.” What more facts do you need? That it’s bad? Of course it is,” said Kelly during his remarks.  

“It would be better if Border Patrol agents had the resources and staffing and policy changes from the bipartisan border bill that we could have passed,” Kelly continued. “That would have helped them. But the folks who went on that trip didn’t want to vote for that bill. So, no, this wasn’t a fact-finding tour; it was just another photo op.” 

Click here to download video of Kelly’s remarks. See below for a complete transcript: 

Madame President,   

Three weeks ago, I stood here and spoke about the consequences of my Republican colleagues walking away from the border agreement.   

After decades of crisis after crisis at our border, we had a chance to be the Senators who actually did something about it. We had a real opportunity, a real bill, ready to be signed into law by the President.   

Technology to stop fentanyl, more than one thousand additional border patrol agents, authorities and policy changes to prevent the border from being overwhelmed, visas to keep families together, and more.   

That’s what Senators Sinema, Murphy, and Lankford worked on together for months. With both Democrat and Republican Senate leaders at the table. With the administration at the table. And that’s what Senate Republicans turned and walked away from.   

I said then that some politicians see more advantage in shouting about problems than actually solving them.      

Well, let’s take a look at what has happened in the last three weeks.  

A couple of my Republican colleagues traveled to Texas so they could record videos about how bad things were at the border. Neither of them supported the bipartisan border bill.    

Other of my Republican colleagues have stood on this floor, giving speeches pointing fingers at President Biden, and they’ve done the same on cable news. President Biden supported the bipartisan border bill, they did not.   

In fact, one of my Republican colleagues said in his floor speech the other day that he hasn’t seen the two Arizona Senators on this floor giving speeches about the border.   

To that Senator, I say this: That’s because we’re not here to just talk about the problem, we’re here to do something about it. By the way, that same Senator did not support the bipartisan border bill.   

A group of House Republicans came to my state for what they called a “fact finding tour.” What more facts do you need? That it’s bad? Of course it is.  

It would be better if Border Patrol agents had the resources and staffing and policy changes from the bipartisan border bill that we could have passed. That would have helped them. But the folks who went on that trip didn’t want to vote for that bill. So, no, this wasn’t a fact-finding tour; it was just another photo op. 

Because they would rather keep talking about the problem instead of solving the problem.  

Who does that help?   

It doesn’t help Border Patrol who, by the way, supported this bipartisan bill. It doesn’t help border communities who desperately need some relief.   

The problems at the border do not go away when you fly back to Washington, D.C. They just don’t. And they don’t go away when the TV camera stops rolling either.   

In Arizona, these aren’t just talking points—it’s a challenge that we face every day that strains our communities, and it strains law enforcement. That’s why I’m not going to stop working to solve these issues with our border and our immigration system.   

Because while anybody can talk about a problem, those of us here in this building have the power to actually do something about it. That’s our job. That’s what we were elected to do.   

Thank you, Madame President. I yield the floor.