Watch: Congressman begs GOP to help kids in powerful, emotional speech

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) gave a powerful voice to the children who are being ripped away from their parents when he used his opening remarks at a congressional hearing to implore lawmakers to help end Trump’s harmful “zero tolerance” policy.

The joint hearing of the House Oversight Committee and the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday was intended to focus on the inspector general’s report into the Hillary Clinton email investigation. But Cummings, the ranking member of the Oversight Committee, urged his colleagues to set aside that issue and join him in standing up for children.

“We all should be able to agree that in the United States of America, we will not intentionally separate children from their parents. We will not do that. We are better than that. We are so much better,” Cummings said during his opening remarks.

“We should be able to agree that we will not keep kids in child internment camps indefinitely and hidden away from public view,” he continued. “What country is that? This is the United States of America!”

Cummings also correctly pointed out that “we do not need legislation” to stop families from being separated at the border — this is all at the discretion of the Trump administration.

“This is a policy, and understand this, this was a policy invented, implemented, and executed by President Donald Trump,” Cummings said.

“So in conclusion, Mr. Chairman, we need you,” Cummings said. “Those children need you. And I’m talking directly to my Republican colleagues: we need you to stand up to president Trump. We need you to join us in telling him that we reject this mean policy. We need you to tell him to abandon this policy. We need you to remind him that this is the United States of America, and it is a great country. And we need you to stand up for those children.”

Cummings’ impassioned plea cuts straight to the heart of the matter.

Despite all of the Trump administration’s lies and deflections, even they admit that these children are essentially hostages to Trump’s extreme agenda. Attorney General Jeff Sessions confirmed as much when he said that the separations would stop if Congress gives Trump his border wall.

As Cummings noted, all that is needed to end this horror is for Trump to stop it. But Republicans are giving Trump cover by remaining silent.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.