Protecting the Homeland
As a U.S. Air Force veteran and a former member of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, securing our national defense has always been one of my top priorities. While threats to our homeland have always existed, America now faces a new wave of threats, such as cyberterrorism, that seek to destroy our foundational principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
For America to remain free, safe, and full of opportunity, we must:
- Prioritize defense spending to ensure our military has the tools necessary to defend our freedom.
- Strengthen America’s mutually beneficial relationship with our international allies.
- Remain vigilant and maintain an active role in the global fight against terror.
- Increase our military’s readiness and ability to combat threats such as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Hamas, ISIS, etc.
- Restore our role as a leader in the global economy and maintain a competitive edge among our international peers.
Securing our Border
President Biden’s policies have worsened immigration issues at our nation’s southern border, and he has completely neglected his duty to ensure the national security of the United States. Under the Biden Administration, over 7.2 million migrants illegally crossed our southern border. In addition, there has been an exponential increase in terrorists, criminals, narcotics, and contraband making it across our southern border. In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol arrested over 35,000 illegal immigrants with criminal convictions and seized 27,293 pounds of fentanyl coming across the border.
To alleviate the ongoing crisis created by the President’s failure to take action, my House Republican colleagues and I passed H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, in May, 2023, during the 118th Congress. This bill is the strongest border security bill to come through Congress in over 100 years. If enacted, it would revoke ‘catch and release’ policies passed by the Biden Administration, resume construction of the border wall, increase the number of border patrol agents and give them higher pay, and strengthen current laws to protect unaccompanied children from human trafficking. However, Senate Democrat leadership refused to put H.R. 2 on the Senate floor for a vote; therefore, the legislation remains pending.
Further, in February of 2024, after several negotiations on a border deal between House Republican leadership and Senate leadership to pass a national security supplemental funding bill, which included border security provisions, no agreement was reached. The Senate passed the National Security Act, which includes funding for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, but lacks a single border policy provision. House Speaker Mike Johnson has stated that the House will not vote on the National Security Act due to its omission of border security provisions and will work to secure America’s own border before sending additional foreign aid around the world.