Madam Speaker, last month there were over 180,000 encounters at the

southern border, almost 200,000 encounters at the southern border. That

is a new 20-year record for illegal border crossings, 20-year record.

Alarmingly, CBP has seized more deadly fentanyl so far in 2021 than

in all of 2020. Based on our current trends, we can expect overdose

deaths in 2021 to meet, if not exceed, the 90,000 Americans who lost

their lives between September 2019 and September 2020, 90,000 American

deaths.

Yet Vice President Harris, who President Biden put in charge of

stemming migration at our southern border, refuses to go firsthand to

see the crisis in person. In Vice President Harris' own words, ``If you

want to fix a problem, you have to go where the problem exists.'' That

is what the Vice President said.

[[Page H2720]]

Alarmingly, she hasn't gone to the southern border at all.

It would be laughable if this wasn't a humanitarian crisis. It would

be laughable if Americans weren't going to die of overdoses because of

fentanyl crossing our southern border.

That is why, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an

amendment to the rule to immediately consider Congresswoman Ashley

Hinson's See the Crisis Act. This legislation would restrict Vice

President Harris from using taxpayer dollars to travel internationally

until she actually visits our southern border.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my

amendment in the Record, along with any extraneous material,

immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

>>13910443

Mrs. HINSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to call for immediate

consideration of my See the Crisis Act. This legislation would prevent

Vice President Kamala Harris from using taxpayer dollars to travel

internationally before seeing the southern border crisis firsthand.

Vice President Harris was named as the administration's point person

on the illegal immigration crisis at our southern border 80 days ago,

and this crisis is worsening by the day. Yet the Vice President has

refused to go to the border herself and talk to the brave law

enforcement officers, the men and women who are fighting this on the

front lines.

This out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach is a disgrace, Madam Speaker,

but let's back up and look at how this crisis has developed on the

Biden administration's watch.

On day one of this administration, President Biden stopped

construction of the border wall. Shortly after, he reinstated catch-

and-release. Now, this turned on the green light at our border. It

incentivized the historic surge of illegal immigration that we are

currently experiencing in this country.

Open border policies are music to the ears of the cartels, the drug

smugglers, and the traffickers who make their living on human

suffering. Make no mistake, business is good for cartels and drug

smugglers under this administration right now.

Snuck into this rule here tonight is a provision to set the spending

levels for Congress, and these historic spending levels rise in nearly

every category except for one, the Department of Homeland Security.

This sends a pretty clear message to the cartels that the U.S.

Government doesn't think it is a priority to stop them.

Madam Speaker, I recently visited the border to see the crisis for

myself, hear what those on the front lines are facing every day. They

told me they are completely overwhelmed. There are major

vulnerabilities along our border. These are vulnerabilities that the

cartels and the drug smugglers are exploiting every day.

Border Patrol officers are apprehending sex offenders, gang members,

even people on the terrorist watch list trying to come into our country

illegally, and these are just the people that they are catching. Deadly

drugs are pouring across the border in droves. Fentanyl seizures at the

border have increased by 233 percent this year. 233 percent.

When I was at the border I heard from both Democratic sheriffs and

Republican sheriffs about these devastating realities and the damage

that is being inflicted on our communities.

But apparently, even as the administration's point person on the

illegal immigration crisis, hearing from those on the ground is too

much to ask for the Vice President.

She has been the border czar for 80 days. She has been to yarn shops,

she has been to bakeries, and she just flew right over the crisis at

our southern border to meet with foreign countries, with the taxpayers'

checkbook in hand.

{time} 1745

When asked why she hasn't visited the southern border, she laughed.

She laughed, and this is not a laughing matter.

The border crisis impacts the safety and security of every Iowan, of

every American. Every State is a border State right now.

As Members of Congress, regardless of our party, it is our job to

hold the administration accountable when it is failing the American

people.

Right now, Vice President Harris, Madam Speaker, is failing the

American people. She is failing law enforcement at the border. She is

failing the families who will suffer because of the drugs coming across

our border and falling into the wrong hands.

Vice President Harris needs to see the crisis for herself and take

action. That is exactly what my See the Crisis Act will force her to

do. This bill will prevent the Vice President from traveling

internationally on the taxpayers' dime until she visits the southern

border and reports back to the American people on how the

administration will secure our border.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle

tonight to join me in defeating the previous question and holding this

administration accountable for the border crisis.

>>13910473

They were not talking to that 7-year-old girl who had a phone number

written on her arm, or talking to any of the others who were being

potentially abused, as many NGOs and nonprofits estimate up to 25 to 30

percent of the women on this journey are abused by dangerous cartels.

It is not the Mexican Government that operates Tamaulipas or the

state across the Rio Grande. It is the dangerous cartels making tens of

millions of dollars moving human beings for profit.

That is what my colleagues on the other side of the aisle sell as

compassion?

Then I watch the Vice President of the United States go down to

another country to say, well, what could we possibly do to stem the

tide?

How about actually secure the border of the United States?

How about actually use Title 42 in the middle of a global pandemic to

make sure that we control the flow at the border?

How about actually have the infrastructure in place that we know

works?

How about a return to Mexico policy where we can work with our

friends in Mexico to stop the flow?

How about not putting a big neon sign on the border saying: ``Come on

in. Don't mind if the cartels abuse you on the way.''

Meanwhile, Texas takes the brunt of it: an 800 percent increase over

the last 4 years total in fentanyl; 800 percent more this year alone.

Do you know how dangerous fentanyl is, Madam Speaker?

We have had 7,500 pounds of fentanyl. 7,500 pounds that have been

acquired by border patrol. Imagine what they might acquire if they

weren't limited in resources. Imagine what they might acquire if they

weren't undertaking processing in McAllen instead of having wide open

spaces between our ports of entry. 7,500 pounds, an 800 percent

increase in Texas. My State is under siege. My State is taking it on

the chin because Democrats refuse to secure the border of the United

States.

It is the fundamental duty of a nation to secure its border. The

fundamental duty. I come back here after 3 weeks talking to ranchers

and people in my State who are getting abused, losing their ranches,

losing their homes, watching their kids die in overdoses, all while

migrants get put in stash houses and get abused running up through my

neighborhood and my communities.

Well, forgive me if I am not all that bothered by a resolution on

this floor by my colleague from Iowa. And I think it is a good idea to

try to call into question what the Vice President of the United States

is actually spending her time doing.

What on Earth is more important than securing the border of the

United States? And how hard is it to get on your taxpayer-funded plane

and fly to south Texas and go meet with the border patrol and meet with

the ranchers and meet with the migrants and meet with the business

owners who are getting killed?

It is happening every single day in our State. It is our duty in the

people's House to secure the border of this Nation. And I have

constituents and people back home in Texas asking: What are we getting

out of this deal? What are we getting out of our deal as being a part

of the Union when the country won't even secure the border of our State

and our communities? They are asking me that question.

We have a job to come together here on this floor in this body and do

our job to secure the border of the United States.

>>13910503

>You banned me from discord

Sweet, might stop by then

https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings/army-modernization-in-review-of-the-defense-authorization-request-for-fiscal-year-2022-

Starts in a few mins

http://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2658102/readout-of-secretary-of-defense-lloyd-j-austin-iiis-phone-call-with-israeli-min/

http://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2658120/readout-of-secretary-of-defense-lloyd-austins-meeting-with-the-french-minister/

http://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2658127/readout-of-secretary-of-defense-lloyd-austins-meeting-with-euro-quad-france-ger/

http://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2658396/statement-by-secretary-of-defense-lloyd-j-austin-iii-on-the-national-strategy-f/

>>13910567

https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/hearings/review-of-the-fy-2022-budget-request-for-the-national-aeronautics-and-space-administration

Da Big Banggg

14.5 billion year looking glass 🥴