Politics
Speaker McCarthy Floor Speech on the Secure the Border Act
President Biden’s border crisis has spiraled into full-on chaos. Just yesterday, more than 11,000 people were apprehended crossing the border – the highest number of encounters ever recorded in a single day.
While the Biden administration has ignored the crisis, House Republicans are taking action by voting on H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023, the strongest border bill to have this much support in Congress.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy delivered a floor speech to speak on the House Republicans’ plan to secure the border and called out the Biden administration for failing to do its job.
Remarks as prepared included below, or you may watch online here.
“I’ve been to the border 4 times in the past 3 years.
“I’ve seen the fear in the eyes of the ranchers who have their property broken into.
“I’ve heard the frustration in the voice of the border patrol agents who are stretched to the limit.
“And I’ve felt the sorrow in the words of the mothers and fathers who have lost their children to fentanyl.
“For their sake, and for our nation’s safety, we must secure our border.
“This is President Biden’s record on the border: Record crossings. Record carelessness. Record chaos.
“More than 11,000 people were caught yesterday crossing the border illegally – the highest single day total ever.
“And what’s the administration’s plan for them?
“According to NBC News, the plan is to release many of them into the United States. No court dates. No way to track them.
“Because that’s worked so well in the past. Ask the 85,000 children the Biden administration lost, according to the New York Times.
“Tomorrow, Title 42 expires.
“Everyone knows we are days away from disaster.
“The Mayor of El Paso – which recently declared a state of emergency – says, ‘there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. We are preparing for the unknown.’
“The Governor of Arizona says President Biden has been unresponsive.
“And Governor Abbott of Texas rightly pointed out, ‘this is not a Texas problem. This is a problem for the entire United States.’
“You know – I heard President Biden say yesterday that lifting Title 42 means ‘it’s going to be chaotic for a little while.’
“With respect, Mr. President, it’s been chaotic for two years because of your actions.
“When President Biden took office, he decided – against the advice of border security experts – to single-handedly remove the successful border policies of the previous administration.
“The President stopped construction of the border wall, halted deportations, ended Remain in Mexico, and called for amnesty for millions of people who broke the law.
“His actions sent a message to the world – including the cartels: ‘the border is open.’
“The world listened. And the cartels acted.
“To this day, our southern border is being flooded by illegal aliens from more than 140 countries.
“Countries like:
- Mexico.
- Venezuela.
- Haiti.
- The Triangle countries.
- Yemen.
- Russia.
- China.
“And others.
“Yet how has this administration responded?
“A responsible administration would have told the American people in clear terms, ‘this is a crisis.’
“But the Biden administration tells the public that there is no crisis. Rather than leveling with the American people, the Biden administration is choosing to mislead them.
“There is no better example than Secretary Mayorkas’s comments that ‘border is secure’.
“Everyone knows that isn’t true.
“You can’t say the border is secure when more than 4.5 million people have crossed our border illegally in the 24 months since President Biden took office.
“You can’t say the border is secure when more than 175 individuals on the terrorist watchlist have tried to cross our border.
“You can’t say the border is secure when human trafficking has grown into a multi-billion dollar business for the cartels.
“You can’t say the border is secure when we don’t control the border… and when the number one employer in some border towns is the cartels.
“And you can’t say the border is secure when enough fentanyl is seized at the southern border to kill every American 24 times over – and when CBP says it catches only 5 to 10 percent of the illegal drugs that are smuggled into America.
“But while the Biden administration is missing in action, House Republicans are taking action.
“We’ve spent two years listening to those who have lived through the Biden border crisis – border patrol agents, ranchers, families, businesses, and local leaders.
“As I promised, we brought their government to them – visiting the border, gathering facts, and holding hearings.
“What we learned directly informed not only our Commitment to America, but also the Secure the Border Act.
“Here’s what this bill does:
- It fully provides for effective border enforcement policies, infrastructure, and advanced technology.
- It increases the number of Border Patrol Agents and gives them the bonus pay they deserve.
- It ends Catch and Release and strengthens current laws to protect unaccompanied children from exploitation by human traffickers.
- It reinstates the so-called Remain in Mexico provisions.
- And it resumes construction of the border wall – because the border wall works.
“The Secure the Border Act is the strongest border security bill to come through Congress in more than 100 years.
“If it passes, I am confident that we will stop the flood of fentanyl into our country, solve the Biden Border Crisis, and support our border patrol agents so they can continue to keep us safe.
“I urge all my colleagues to vote yes on the Secure the Border Act.
“Vote yes on security over chaos.”
