Rep Collins vents frustration with repeat hearings on immigration without a bill being put forward to fix the issues.

Screenshot: Rep. Doug Collins

If you’re tired of seeing hearing after congressional hearing about the long list of problems on the southern border but no viable legislation to fix it, you’re not alone.

At a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday titled “Oversight of Family Separation and U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” the panel’s top Republican ignored his prepared statement and instead lambasted House Democrats for their failure to meaningfully address the situation.

During his opening statement, Ranking Member Doug Collins, R-Ga., began reading from his remarks before putting his paper down and saying, “Look, I’m gonna stop. I’m not going to read this.”

Collins went on to vent his frustration at his colleagues in the House who have held several public hearings about the problems at the border but have failed to put forward meaningful legislation to fix those problems.

“You know what is dehumanizing?” Collins asked, responding to a statement made earlier by Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif. “Continuing to bring the same witnesses or the same people from the same agencies to talk about this over and over and over again. What’s dehumanizing is doing that and not doing anything about it.”

“My Democratic colleagues have ideas. I may disagree with those ideas, but put a bill up!” Collins later continued. “I have a bill. Put mine up. Make amendments to it. Do whatever you want to do. That’s what Congress is supposed to do.”

Collins also referred to Lofgren’s remarks saying the Trump administration was not “competent and capable” in dealing with the crisis by saying that “what a competent and capable [House] majority would do is actually put a bill forward.”

“And the folks in this audience, I’m glad you’re here; we’re trying to work on a problem, but don’t accept another hearing,” Collins pleaded. “Accept some answers; accept some bills being put forward. Don’t be fooled again!”

“No offense to our witnesses,” Collins went on. “We’ve heard your statements already before. So I don’t know what’s going to move us this time that didn’t move us last time.”

“This is becoming, unfortunately, a committee of press releases,” Collins lamented. “Dehumanizing is taking people you say you care about but doing nothing for them. That’s dehumanizing!”

Collins, who is known for his rapid speaking pattern, punctuated his message by saying, “I’ll be very slow: Pass bills that matter. Don’t have hearings that are simply stunts.”

A fed up @RepDougCollins puts down his remarks at yet another House hearing about the border crisis: "I'm not reading this."

What's truly dehumanizing about the crisis he says, is talking about the problem "over & over & over again" and "not doing anything about it."

?️ Collins pic.twitter.com/QJmYVOVytb

— Nate Madden (@NateOnTheHill) July 25, 2019