Dear Friend,
Service to our nation comes in many forms, but none is more foundational to upholding our laws and protecting our communities than the service of America’s men and women in blue. Every officer who puts on the uniform does so at great risk to themselves. They run toward dangerous situations and, through their courage, ensure the safety of those whom they serve. Especially during National Police Week, we celebrate the thousands of brave officers who serve and protect our families, friends, and communities.
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Even though the Biden administration continues to mislead the American public, we have been experiencing a full-blown crisis on the southern border. It’s undeniable and a direct consequence of the radical-Left’s open border agenda. During Biden’s first 100 days in office, he took 94 executive actions on immigration, including halting the construction of the border wall. In August 2022, Biden and his administration made the border crisis worse by formally ending the successful ‘Remain in Mexico’ program – an important policy that required certain migrants to wait for their asylum hearings in Mexico. |
These policies have allowed over 5 million illegals to enter our country – over 1.3 million of which have evaded apprehension. The numbers are off the charts. Customs and Border Protection seized over 14,000 pounds of fentanyl coming across the border – which is enough to kill 3.1 billion people. Biden’s border crisis has made every community across the country less safe. |
As we continued to see an unprecedented flood of migrants at the southern border as Biden’s deadline to lift Title 42 approached, the administration simply decided to release these migrants into our streets. This is completely insane and I remain focused on keeping our communities safe and securing our borders. I have been to the U.S. Mexico border and seen the crisis first-hand. We are facing a humanitarian and drug trafficking crisis – but there are solutions to securing our border, keeping our communities safe, and promoting strong national security.
Last week, I worked to pass H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act. This legislation is focused on securing the border, preventing illegal activity at our southern border, and stopping the flow of illicit fentanyl across the border. This bill will: - Deploy additional technology to the southern and northern border
- Increase the number of border patrol agents and provide bonus pay
- Strengthen current law to protect unaccompanied children from human trafficking
- Strengthen and streamline the asylum process
- Restart border wall construction
- Increase transparency regarding illegal crossings from the Department of Homeland Security by requiring CBP to publish information regarding migrant encounters, gang or terrorist affiliated apprehensions, drug seizures, and other related statistics
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With the federal government poised to once again reach its borrowing limit next month, the public expects Congress to get our nation’s fiscal trajectory under control. It is long past time that lawmakers enforce meaningful limits on our country’s future spending, and make sensible and responsible choices that address the looming debt ceiling crisis while ensuring the United States does not perpetuate the cycle of irresponsible borrowing and spending until the next time we are asked to authorize even more debt.
That is why last week, the House Republican Conference came together to pass the Limit, Save, Grow Act. Along with saving the public $4.8 trillion over the next 10 years, this important legislation reaffirms the GOP’s commitment to rein in spending by rescinding billions of unspent COVID funds, limiting federal expenditures through discretionary spending limits, eliminating the army of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents added by the Biden administration to go after hardworking middle-class Americans, and instituting work requirements for able-bodied, childless Americans to qualify for federal assistance. Republicans recognize that now is the time to stand strong against the federal government’s mismanagement of hardworking taxpayers’ dollars and do the right thing to strengthen the future fiscal state of our nation. This was precisely our goal in passing last week’s bill.
Read more of my thoughts in my recent piece in the Washington Examiner. |
Last Thursday, the House Budget Committee held a hearing to expose the woke, wasteful, and bloated bureaucracy under President Biden. During the hearing, we covered a number of different topics including Biden’s big-government student loan giveaways and the radical “Green New Deal” tax handouts. Click here to watch my remarks. |
Thank you to Amber Hester, CEO of Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Newnan, for stopping in to meet with me last week. We had a productive conversation about hospitals in the district, and she provided an update on a few policy issues impacting inpatient rehabilitation hospitals. |
It was great to visit with Sheriff Dan Kilgore and the Upson County Jr. Deputies yesterday. I appreciate them stopping by the Capitol during their trip! Below are a few picture from outside the U.S. Capitol: |
As the former Mayor of West Point, I was proud to bring the Kia plant to our community. This week, I had the opportunity to speak with suppliers and some dealership owners about their work and learn more about how they are overcoming the challenges of inflation and the economy. Here are a few picture from the visit: |
This week, the House will consider the following pieces of legislation on the floor:
H. Res. 363 – A resolution memorializing law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, as amended H.R. 3089 – NDO Fairness Act
H.R. 2494 – POLICE Act of 2023 H.R. 3091 – Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act
H. Con. Res. 40 – Expressing support for local law enforcement officers and condemning efforts to defund or dismantle local law enforcement agencies
As always, I’m here to serve you. Please contact my office with any questions, comments, or concerns. Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to keep track of upcoming legislation and events! |
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Sincerely,
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Drew Ferguson
Member of Congress
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