Diaz-Balart Remarks During Floor Consideration of H.R. 5525, Continuing Appropriations and Border Security Enhancement Act

Statement

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

The most basic duty Congress must complete every year is our Constitutional power to fund the government. This bill will provide funding to keep our government open until October 31st. Unless we act now the government will shut down at midnight on Saturday.

The House of Representatives has already passed 4 appropriations bills, constituting the majority of funding for our government, while the Senate continues to sit on their hands and has failed to pass anything. Typical.

The country has nearly 32.9 trillion dollars in debt, and our deficit this year is $1.9 trillion. The Biden administration has gone on a spending binge with money we do not have to spend. It is time we slow our funding to a more sustainable level.

Yesterday, I was proud that the House of Representative passed my State and Foreign Operations bill that cut wasteful spending while making investments in our national security, all while the total cost of the bill was below the fiscal 2015 level. This bill will slow our spending by taking discretionary spending back to fiscal 2022 levels. Excluded from the cuts are defense, veterans, DHS and disaster relief.

It is a start and well overdue.

In addition, this bill provides flexibilities to the Department of Defense for new starts.

But this bill does more than just deal with our out-of-control spending, it will help stem the tide at the border.

Mr. Speaker, our 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, it is negligence and incompetence with 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.

Mr. Speaker, our border is out of control. Actually, it is controlled by the narco terrorist cartels on the Mexican side of the border. This crisis is only going to get worse unless we act.

Earlier this year the House approved my bill, HR 2, the Border Security Act of 2023. This important bill would make changes to our immigration policies that would help retake control of the border. I am proud to say that the Spending Reduction and Border Security Act of 2024, includes the Border Security Act of 2023.

This bill provides a solution to keep the government open, secure the border, and restrain the growth of government spending while we negotiate final fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills.

I urge all my colleagues to support this bill so we can send it to the Senate and keep our government open.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve my time."

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