Supporting A National Security Supplemental

Floor Speech

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Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Committee on National Security, I rise to remind the House Republican leadership that actions speak louder than words when it comes to national security and America's defense of democracy and human rights worldwide.

In reference to the current migrant crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, Speaker Johnson has repeatedly stated that ``our national security begins at our border.''

He has indicated that border policy would be the Republican hill to die on. He even insisted that the House would not act on a foreign aid package unless it included substantive provisions to enhance border security, his ``top priority.''

However, the actions taken by the House Republican leadership do not live up to those words. Three weeks ago, a bipartisan coalition in the U.S. Senate negotiated a national security agreement that proposed the most significant reforms in decades, introducing new emergency border authorities, including granting the President the ability to close the border under certain circumstances, anti-fentanyl and anti-human trafficking provisions, and resources to enhance security at the southern border.

President Biden indicated a willingness to sign the compromise agreement, when passed. Instead, at the direction of former President Trump, Speaker Johnson declared the bill dead on arrival in the House before he even received the final text.

Mr. Speaker, Congress should debate and amend, when necessary, and pass a commonsense border security and immigration bill to end the crisis at our border and regain control of our border.

Similarly, following Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022, the House Republican leadership released the following statement:

They said, ``We stand in complete solidarity with the innocent Ukrainian people and vow to continue to support them as they defend themselves from Putin's unprovoked onslaught.''

The Speaker personally echoed those commitments during his meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in the Capitol last December.

However, after the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan foreign aid package that includes over $60 billion in assistance to support the Ukrainian military and people, a bill which also included provisions for $14 billion in aid to Israel and nearly $10 billion in humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, Ukraine, and other populations affected by conflict, the Speaker once again declared the bill dead on arrival.

Upon his election to the speakership, Speaker Johnson pledged that the House Republican Conference, and I am going to give you a quote, ``And we will restore sanity to a government desperately in need of it.'' That could not be further from the truth.

As evidenced by another looming government shutdown, this Republican majority remains mired in internal party dysfunction and legislative chaos to the great detriment of U.S. national security, our international partners, and the American people.

We are now one day away from a partial shutdown that would disrupt critical Federal programs, including veterans' outreach services, air traffic control training, food assistance for low-income families, and an estimated 200,000 military families who now rely upon WIC to alleviate food insecurity--according to the National Military Family Association.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the House Republican leadership to set politics and partisanship aside and work with Members on both sides of the aisle to immediately address these critical priorities.

We also have an opportunity to urge the United States Treasury to take control of the $300 billion in Russian assets that are in the possession and custody of U.S. and EU banks. Take that $300 billion and give it to Ukraine so they can fight for their freedom and feed their people.

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