Dear Friend,

The border is broken. It's no secret that our border has been in a state of crisis since the Biden Administration undid many of the effective provisions installed under President Trump. However, today marked a major turning point for border security as House Republicans passed a bill that would address many of the problems we've seen on our southern border. 

The Secure the Border Act of 2023 is a comprehensive piece of legislation that addresses a wide range of issues plaguing the United States's southern border. It combines three pieces of legislation passed through the House Committees on Homeland Security (CHS), Judiciary, and Foreign Affairs (HFAC), and the Homeland Security portion includes two measures that I have introduced in the past — the Eradication of Narcotic Drugs and Formulating Effective New Tools to Address Yearly Losses of Life (END FENTANYL) Act, which would require Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to update its policies and manuals at least every three years to help prevent drug and human smuggling at ports of entry, and the Operation Stonegarden Authorization Act to support law enforcement in border states that are aiding in border operations.

Additionally, the Secure the Border Act of 2023 would:

• Address our broken asylum process;
• Direct the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to resume border wall construction;
• Bolster Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staffing by mandating hiring of agents to meet the goal of 22,000 CBP agents;
• Require CBP to develop a technology investment plan and to upgrade existing technology;
• Require DHS to disclose monthly border data to the public and to Congress by the seventh day of each month;
• Establish retention bonuses for U.S. Border Patrol personnel;
• Provide increased support through Operation Stonegarden grants to local law enforcement jurisdictions.

Last night, I again encourages my colleagues to support this important legislation, this time from the floor of the House of Representatives. I also responded to President Biden's threat to veto this critical piece of legislation, and will work to overturn his veto should he make the decision to act against our national security. 

"[A]ny veto threat by this president be damned, we will deliver security to the American people." - Congressman Michael Guest

See below for the full transcript of my remarks.

Make no mistake, our border is broken. This Administration, for over two years, has been unwilling or unable to secure our southern border. Statistics show that in FY 21, President Biden set a record with 1.9 million encounters; in FY 22, he broke that record with 2.7 million encounters; and in FY 23, President Biden is on pace to break that record once again.

The numbers to my left paint a grim picture of the dire situation along our southern border, and these numbers will only grow worse as Title 42 expires.

Republicans from Homeland Security, from Judiciary, from Foreign Affairs have worked together to craft legislation that will combat the border crisis — a crisis created by failures of this Administration.

This legislation will hire thousands of new agents, pay retention bonuses to our front-line officers, invest in new technology, construct hundreds of miles of walls and barriers, and will support our local and state partners.

Congress must fill the gap of leadership created by the inaction of this Administration. We must stop the flow of illegal drugs from pouring into our communities. We must end the flood of immigrants that are coming across each and every day, and we must support, the hard-working men and women of law enforcement who are on the front lines of this crisis.

We will not back down from this fight and any veto threat by this president be damned, we will deliver security to the American people.

Police Week

I joined Congresswoman Julia Letlow in introducing a resolution in the House of Representatives to recognize National Police Week. The resolution recognizes the 556 officers who lost their lives in the line of duty in 2022 or those whose stories were lost until now.

Police officers make up the thin blue line that protects our communities from crime. They dedicate their lives to defending innocent citizens from those who seek to do harm, and they provide critical public services that help make the lives of their neighbors easier. It’s of the utmost importance that we continue to honor those men and women who lost their lives in this noble pursuit.

This legislation expresses that the Members of the House of Representatives support our law enforcement officers, appreciate all they do for our communities, and honor those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

I also joined Speaker McCarthy and my Republican colleagues on a bike ride to the Lincoln Memorial with law enforcement officers this week. We ended our ride at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, which honors the more than 23,000 law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

As we prepare for National Police Week next week, I hope you will join me in thanking men and women of law enforcement for all they do to keep our communities safe.