House Republicans' Legislative Efforts This Week

Floor Speech

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Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, the vice chair of our Conference, for his leadership on these important issues.

Mr. Speaker, Mark Twain once said: Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the government when it is deserved.

From Joe Biden's self-induced crisis at our southern border to the repeated assault on American energy to foreign policy blunders, this administration's policies have been a disaster for our country.

It seems every decision coming from this White House from a national security standpoint and an economic standpoint makes the United States weaker and more vulnerable both here and abroad.

Even the latest LNG export pause is of great concern to our European Union allies, who stopped purchasing natural gas from Russia because they invaded Ukraine and are now counting on the United States. They are rattled by this White House's so-called pause.

The whole country now knows that we, the United States of America, are allowing a record number of potential threats into our country at our southern border, including deadly drugs, terrorists, human trafficking, and crime.

On top of the nearly 10 million persons here illegally who have crossed the border under Joe Biden's watch, 361 individuals were on the terrorist watch list. How many were there under the previous administration, under the Trump administration, over a 4-year period? Just 11.

Why has there been a 3,000 percent increase in terrorists crossing our border? Is it because our enemies know that this is a good time to take advantage of the United States of America? The threats aren't just coming from Central or South America or the Middle East for that matter. The threats are coming from all over the world.

Customs and Border Protection says they have encountered illegal immigrants from 120 different countries, which is deeply troubling given the geopolitical conflicts created around the world in the last 3 years. Even ``60 Minutes'' expressed concern that 37,000 Chinese nationals crossed our border illegally last year, 50 times more than the previous 2 years.

What does the Biden White House propose to solve the crisis? Symbolism of a policy, well over substance, really a do-nothing, politically motivated bill that fails to include reimplementation of the Trump administration's remain in Mexico policy. Per Customs and Border Patrol, this is the most crucial piece to solving the border catastrophe.

If we don't require illegal migrants to claim asylum in the first safe country they enter, we will simply never solve this crisis. This is why we are not favorable to the Senate bill, because they will just keep on coming illegally.

Mr. Speaker, I am sorry to say, the Biden administration really doesn't seem to care about protecting the interests of the United States. They made that clear by failing to enforce the laws that exist, which the Trump White House used to secure the border.

From an economic standpoint, the Biden White House made a surprising and inexplicable decision to pause American LNG exports. This misguided policy failure will only drive our allies, as stated, into the arms of our adversaries, supporting Russia's economy.

This White House can be counted on for one thing, and that is to blame others for the crises they create. Harry Truman was known for his saying, which sat atop his desk: The buck stops here. The name placard sitting in this Oval Office should be: Pass the buck. That is why Republicans have taken decisive action to hold the Biden administration accountable.

We impeached Secretary Mayorkas just yesterday for his failure to enforce our border laws and for the blatant dereliction of duty and violation of his oath of office that has created grave dangers for our country. Tomorrow, we will pass the Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act to repeal the ill-conceived, ideologically guided restrictions on the export and import of natural gas.

Mr. Speaker, Republicans will continue to fight for American energy, American national security, the American economy, and the American people because this administration simply will not.

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