February 5, 2015 / Modified feb 5, 2015 5:28 a.m.

McSally Pushes Border Security Bill

She leads Republican effort on House floor to move legislation that stalled last month.

McSally Border Committee News Conf spotlight Rep. Martha McSally, R-Tucson, and members of the House Homeland Security Committee meet with members of the media on the Ladd Ranch in Sierra Vista following a border tour. January 24, 2015

Republicans pushing to move border security legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives took their argument to the House floor Wednesday, led by Rep. Martha McSally.

The bill that McSally, from Tucson's 2nd Congressional District, and others are sponsoring has stalled because off opposition within the party.

She said it is time to help agents at the border.

“Border Patrol is doing the best they can. We've got to change the strategy,” McSally said in a floor speech. “We've got to address this issue. It has got to be bipartisan and something that unites us.”

Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, chief sponsor of the bill, chastised those blocking it.

“The American people know this is an important issue. The problem is the members of Congress have been tone deaf on this,” McCaul said.

House members who have slowed the bill say it focuses too much on the border and not enough on interior enforcement. The House Judiciary Committee is working a bill dealing with that issue.

House leadership has not set a timetable for when the legislation will come up for a vote.

By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona