Continuing Appropriations and Border Security Enhancement Act, 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 741, I call up the bill (H.R. 5525) making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2024, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to speak on the Spending Reduction and Border Security Act of 2024.

As we all know, the most basic duty that Congress has and must complete every year is that constitutional power of Congress to fund the Federal Government. This bill, Mr. Speaker, will provide funding to keep our government open until October 31. Unless we act now, the government will shut down at midnight on Saturday.

Let's be very clear, Mr. Speaker. The House has already passed four appropriations bills, which constitute the majority of funding for our government. Now, unfortunately, the Senate continues to sit on its hands and has failed to pass any of them, any of them thus far. Unfortunately, it is something that we have seen time and time again from our friends across this building.

Mr. Speaker, the country is nearly $32.9 trillion in debt--that is trillion with a t, Mr. Speaker--and our deficit this year is $1.9 trillion. The Biden administration has gone on a crazy, irresponsible spending binge with money that we do not have to spend, money that is borrowed mostly from Communist China. It is time. It is time. It is time that we slow this out-of-control, unsustainable spending to a level that is sustainable.

Yesterday, Mr. Speaker, I was proud that the House of Representatives passed the State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill, one that I was pleased and honored to lead that cut wasteful spending while making crucial investments in our national security, all while the total cost of that bill passed last night is way below fiscal year 2015 spending levels. That bill that we passed will slow our spending by really taking discretionary spending back to fiscal year 2022 overall.

Now, excluded from those reductions in this bill are any reductions from defense, veterans, homeland security, and disaster relief. It is a very important start and well overdue to fund our priorities, the American people's priorities, but doing so in a responsible way that does not bankrupt the American taxpayer.

Mr. Speaker, in addition, this bill provides flexibility to the Department of Defense for new starts, but this bill does more than just deal with our out-of-control spending, which it must. It will also help the just inhumane tide at our southern border.

Mr. Speaker, our southern border is out of control. The Biden administration has failed to even do the bare minimum to secure our border. As I have said before, Mr. Speaker, the irresponsible attitude of the Biden administration when it comes to the southern border is beyond negligence and incompetence. It also has fatal consequences.

In just the last few days, we have seen a surge at the border with an average of over 9,000 apprehensions each and every day. This is unsustainable. It is unthinkable, and I would add it is immoral.

Mr. Speaker, our border is out of control. Actually, no, let me correct myself right here on the floor of the House, Mr. Speaker. No, it is controlled now 100 percent by the narco-terrorist cartels on the Mexican side of the border. That is who the administration has ceded control of the southern border to. This crisis is only going to continue to get worse and worse unless we act.

Earlier this year, the House approved the bill that I was honored to lead, H.R. 2, the Border Security Act of 2023. As you know, Mr. Speaker, this bill would make changes to our immigration policies that would help reclaim control of the southern border.

I am proud to say that the Spending Reduction and Border Security Act of 2024, which I am speaking about today, includes the Border Security Act of 2023 already passed by this House.

This bill provides a solution. This bill that we are discussing now provides a solution to keep the government open. This bill keeps the government open and restrains the growth of government while giving us an opportunity to continue negotiations on the appropriations bills.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to do the responsible thing. Support this bill so that we can send it to the Senate and keep the Federal Government open. That is what we are dealing with. That is what the vote is about.

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Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, let's be very clear. We are going to know shortly who wants to shut down the government and who wants to keep it open because we are going to have a vote. In front of us today is this resolution to keep the government open. I know there is going to be a lot of talk, but we are going to have a vote. If you vote for this resolution, it keeps the government open, and if you vote against it, government shuts down Saturday night.

That is not too complicated. The American people are smart. They get that. Out of all the talk we are going to hear, we will know on that vote. If you vote for this resolution, you are voting to keep the government open. If you vote against it, well, you are voting to shut it down.
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Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I would remind my colleagues in the House and the American people that last year, 900 immigrants died trying to cross the border. That is not humane. That is insane, and that we are not willing to look away and tolerate in the name of what? No. That is what is intolerable.

I will not be lectured, Mr. Speaker, when 900 migrants died trying to get to the United States, and when there are thousands of children who are now missing that were supposed to be taken care of by the United States Federal Government.

You don't hear about that. That is not humane. This legislation puts an end to that insanity.

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Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I will remind everyone what we are talking about today.

This keeps the government open. It secures the border, and it, frankly, reduces wasteful spending. That is what we are dealing with here.

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Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, so often around here, we vote on half measures, narrow bills that, at best, address one issue in only a modest way. This is not that bill. This is an opportunity in one vote to shut the border, to keep the government open, and to reduce spending.

The five conservative leaders who, with me, crafted this proposal knew that bold action was needed.

Crisis one: We are $33 trillion in debt. That is pushing us toward insolvency. That number has grown by 50 percent in just the last 4 years. This bill puts us back on the right track and cuts billions of spending, even just in the next month.

Two, a shutdown accomplishes nothing. It does not save a nickel. In fact, it costs the American taxpayers billions. This stopgap funding measure makes sure our government stays open.

Three, 1.8 million illegal crossings at our southern border is unacceptable. This bill puts into place the policies that we know work to secure our border.

Mr. Speaker, I will admit to not understanding fully those who oppose this bill. I do not understand why anyone would choose open borders over an open government.

Mr. Speaker, we are here to solve problems. Chaos is not a legislative strategy. In a few moments, I will vote to keep the government open, to cut spending, and to secure our border. I urge my colleagues to do the same.
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Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Austin Scott).

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thought I would go ahead and respond because I know as soon as I sit down, the gentlewoman from Connecticut is going to talk about the schoolteachers in Georgia, and my sister is one of them. She gets her check from the county, in case you didn't know it. It kind of bothers me that you seem to think that they get a check from the Federal Government. They actually get paid by the county, as do our sheriff's deputies.

How did we get here? I have heard the left talk about the chaos caucus that we have, candidly, as Republicans and what gives them the power. It only takes five of them to create a disruption. How do five get the power? The five in our party get the power because the 212 of you on the Democratic side are going to vote with them to shut down the government.

Now, a continuing resolution is a 30-day piece of legislation that I will admit is not perfect, but it is better than a shutdown or the chaos that comes with a shutdown.

The idea that we as Republicans and the American citizens have to eat a $2 trillion deficit or else you are going to shut down the government is absolutely ridiculous.

We are not at war. We are not in a recession. We are in no health emergency. Show a little responsibility.

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Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Malliotakis).

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Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

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Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, oh, so many words. Allow me, Mr. Speaker, to cut to the chase. We have a choice right now.

Vote ``yes'' to keep the Federal Government open, to control inflation-causing overspending, and to secure the southern border. That is a ``yes'' vote, or vote ``no'' to shut down the Federal Government, to keep the narco cartels in control of the southern border.

This is pretty simple. Government likes to complicate things. As politicians, we like to try to obfuscate reality.

This is very simple. We have a choice.

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