Bringing Awareness to the Equal Representation Act, Issues Surrounding the Border Crisis, Antisemitism and Energy Costs

Floor Speech

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Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following newsletter to give an update to my constituents to bring awareness to the Equal Representation Act in addition to issues surrounding the border crisis, antisemitism and energy costs.

Dear Friend,

This week, I was successful in passing my fourth bill since serving in Congress, the Equal Representation Act.

Our democracy depends on electoral integrity, and that includes fair and equal representation of American citizens.

By requiring a citizenship question on the decennial census, the Equal Representation Act would make sure that only U.S. citizens--those who have the right to vote--are counted when apportioning the number of congressional seats and Electoral College votes that each state has.

Including non-citizens in the count when divvying up the number of congressional seats for each state weakens Americans' representation. In fact, the Center for Immigration Studies found that California has more congressional seats than the population would otherwise allow, and New York has four more, giving these states a greater influence in determining the direction of our country.

We need guardrails to protect our democracy, and that includes making sure that American citizens--and American citizens only--are accurately represented in their federal government.

It's time to stop diluting the voice and votes of Americans and with the passage of my bill, it's clear that many of my colleagues agree. Condemning the administration's deadly border crisis

A major reason we need to stop illegal immigrants from skewing representation numbers in our government is due to this administration's disastrous open-border policies that have allowed more than 7.2 million illegal immigrants to enter our country through our southern border. That is more than the population of 36 states.

President Biden inherited policies from President Trump that would have strengthened our border security. However, since Biden's first day in office, he has reversed policies that were in place to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, and has undermined U.S. border security on more than 60 occasions.

The House sent a strong message by passing H. Res. 1112, which condemns this administration's policies that have created this costly border crisis. We also urged the administration to take immediate action to end this national security threat, and we will not rest until law and order is restored at our borders. The president's clandestine flights of more than 400,000 illegal immigrants

The House Homeland Security Committee recently released documents that identified more than 45 airport locations to which the president secretly flew more than 400,000 illegal immigrants.

These documents are another example of how this administration is jeopardizing the safety of Americans and our national security, and why the House needed to pass the strongest border security bill in history, the Secure the Border Act, which would strengthen our borders by restoring President Trump's border policies. Standing with Jewish students and Israel

You've probably seen footage of antisemitic mobs who have been defending the actions of Hamas, harassing Jewish students and disrupting learning across college campuses in America.

The House has launched a probe to crack down on campus antisemitism, and we will not stop until Jewish students feel safe on their campuses, and until universities that fail to do their part are held accountable.

Colleges and universities need leadership with a moral backbone to stand up against antisemitism and provide a safe learning environment for Jewish students. Any administrators who refuse to hold these protestors accountable are not fit to lead and should resign.

Taxpayers are shouldering the cost of open border policies

During a House Budget Committee hearing, members examined the financial consequences of the administration's border crisis and had an opportunity to inform the American people of the true cost of open border policies.

The White House's open border policies have resulted in a surge of illegal immigrant encounters and influx of deadly drugs across our southwestern border.

This is being paid for by the American taxpayer at the federal, state and local levels.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) calculated that illegal immigration for 2023 alone cost taxpayers $150.7 billion. Taxpayers are shouldering $8,776 per illegal immigrant per year for nearly 22 million illegal immigrants to cover costs including for housing, feeding, clothing, jailing, adjudication, education and shelter.

To protect American lives and improve the federal government's stewardship of taxpayer dollars, securing our southwestern border requires a collaborative partnership among all levels of government, including federal, state and local.

As a member of the House Budget Committee, I'll continue to look for avenues to enforce the law of the land and implement a cost-effective, comprehensive border security strategy that secures our border, ends illegal immigration and protects our citizens. A port's significance in the health of U.S. supply chain, economy

Imagine this: You go to the grocery store and there's no fruit. Or maybe you're building a house and there's a steel and lumber shortage. Why? Because North Carolina's largest port, the Port of Wilmington, has been cut off due to a collapse of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge,

This collapse would immediately restrict access to the port, which contributes $12.9 billion to North Carolina's economy every year, directly and indirectly supports more than 87,700 jobs across the Old North State, and would cost the economy tens of millions of dollars each day the port is closed.

That's what the Port of Baltimore and the citizens of Maryland are experiencing due to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the lower Patapsco River.

I recently visited the Port of Baltimore and the wreckage site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge as a member of the House Appropriations Committee. Our mission was to better understand the collapse, its impact on the economy, and what will be needed to rebuild the bridge.

The Port of Baltimore is the nation's farthest-inland port, and the top domestic port for cars, forest products, farm equipment and sugar. The port generates $4.7 billion in economic value to the state of Maryland and supports nearly 22,000 jobs,

Estimates predict the Baltimore port's closure costs America's economy $15 million each day it is closed and has added hours to transportation times for vital goods and services that Americans rely on every day in the mid-Atlantic region and beyond.

Ships are having to travel greater distances to offload shipments, and an estimated 5,000 trucks per day are being diverted across the region, adding hours to their travel time and significantly affecting the flow of goods across most of the United States.

Maryland's transportation secretary estimates that the cost to rebuild this critical pillar of our nation's supply chain is nearly S1.9 billion.

At some point, when Maryland comes to the federal government for our assistance in funding this rebuild, I want you to know that I will be supporting that effort for the sake of our nation's supply chain and for the health of our national economy, just as I would hope my colleagues in Maryland would do if such a tragedy were to ever happen at a North Carolina port. Scaling back unachievable energy standards

If the White House is going to require new product standards for energy conservation, the requirements should be feasible and reasonable.

I cast NC-11's vote for the Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act to modify the Department of Energy's (DOE) procedures for mandating energy-efficiency standards by prohibiting the DOE secretary from requiring standards that are not technologically feasible and economically justified.

Western North Carolinians are already burdened by rising costs, and the last thing we need is more unrealistic federal regulations that further raise prices, fail to provide meaningful energy savings and take away consumer choice. Gold Star Family Fellowship Program

The Gold Star Family Fellowship Program is organized by the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the House of Representatives and is an opportunity for Gold Star family members to apply for a one-year fellowship with members of Congress. This includes any family member (parents, children including stepchildren, spouses or siblings) of military members who have died in the line of duty.

If you are interested in applying for this fellowship, visit the CAO website here.

With my warmest regards,

Chuck Edwards

Member of Congress

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