February 17, 2024
Dear Friends,
As members of Congress, my colleagues and I are entrusted with the great responsibility of addressing the issues facing the American people. Each of us has an obligation to do right by our own constituents and families across the nation by working together in good faith to solve problems. Unfortunately, thanks to the obstructionism and incompetence of House Republicans, this Congress has taken precious little action on the urgent issues facing our country. Day after day, the GOP has repeatedly chosen chaos over compromise and stunts over solutions. Perhaps nowhere has this destructive attitude been more evident than on the complex issue of immigration.
America is a nation of immigrants. As the grandson of immigrant dairy farmers from Poland, I know that new arrivals to our country make invaluable contributions to the rich diversity that is one of our nation’s greatest strengths. Immigration also serves as an important driver of economic growth by expanding our workforce and increasing demand for goods and services. Just last week, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that recent immigration will add about $7 trillion to the U.S. economy over the next decade.
Sadly, our broken immigration system has for years prevented our nation from realizing the full potential of what immigrants can bring to our shores. Decades of congressional inaction have created chaos and suffering at our southern border while leaving communities across the nation overburdened and unprepared to welcome new arrivals. And without a path to citizenship or the opportunity to receive temporary work authorization, millions of immigrants are left unable to provide for their families or contribute to the economic growth of our communities. That’s why my Democratic colleagues and I have continuously pushed for compassionate, comprehensive immigration reform.
Republicans agree that our immigration system is broken. They’ve spent years decrying the “catastrophe” at the southern border, calling for mass deportations and more family separations. They’ve visited the border repeatedly for staged photo ops, where they relentlessly smear desperate migrants seeking better lives for their families as “hardened criminals.”
Despite their fervor and fearmongering, however, they’ve repeatedly blocked any action to fix this broken system, resorting instead to political gamesmanship.
When presented with a proposal from President Biden that would have implemented new border security measures and delivered aid to our allies in Ukraine and across the globe, Republicans demurred. Even as Vladimir Putin continues his unconscionable assault on the Ukrainian people and his repeated murders of Russian dissidents, including yesterday’s killing of prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, the House GOP refuses to consider any aid for Ukraine alongside immigration measures.
When a united group of Republican and Democratic Senators announced legislation that addressed GOP demands, Donald Trump railed furiously against it, denouncing any legislative action on immigration for fear that it would hurt his own electoral prospects. It was only a matter of time before congressional Republicans fell in line behind their leader. Speaker Mike Johnson declared the bill “dead on arrival” in the House. Some Senate Republicans even came out against the bill that they helped draft, deciding suddenly that this border “catastrophe” does not need to be solved until after the presidential election.
Once Republicans had succeeded in tanking their own bill, the House GOP set to work pursuing a baseless impeachment of Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, a political stunt that even their own members admitted would do nothing to fix the situation at the southern border. A bipartisan vote of the House rejected this ploy on the first attempt, with multiple GOP members arguing that the effort fell far short of the constitutional requirements for impeachment. Republicans finally succeeded in impeaching Secretary Mayorkas on their second try, but this political charade brings us no closer to a solution.
Throughout this Congress, Republicans have dodged every opportunity to address a problem they have lamented for decades — flip-flopping at every turn to avoid reaching a solution. Based on their words and their actions, it is not difficult to conclude that Republicans are simply obstructing progress on immigration so they can exploit the issue for their own political gain. The GOP must decide: is this a crisis or a campaign talking point? If the former, it’s time for them to start working in good faith to find real answers that support our communities and provide a compassionate response to migrants seeking a better life in our country.
As always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations from federal agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:
- On Wednesday, February 21st at 6:00 PM, I’m joining with a representative from the Social Security Administration (SSA) to host a virtual “Social Security 101” Informational Session!
- At the event, you’ll be able to learn more about the benefits you may be entitled to and get expert guidance on how to apply.
- The event will be streamed live HERE on my Facebook page.
- If you are unable to join in live, a recording of the session will also be available on my Facebook page after the conclusion of the event.
- As part of the session, our representative from SSA will answer questions submitted by constituents.
- Do you have a question you’d like answered at this event? Submit yours HERE!
