Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08) blasted Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and House Democrat leadership this week for blocking his amendments to the spending package being debated in the U.S. House of Representatives.
As drafted by Democrats, the spending bill in the U.S. House of Representatives prevents further wall construction on the southern border and prohibits government agencies from sharing information about potential illegal immigrants in the country. Congressman Smith authored amendments to strip out this language in order to curb illegal immigration and address the crisis at the southern border, but each one of his amendments were blocked by the Democrat-controlled Rules Committee from receiving a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“It is morally indefensible for elected leaders to bury their heads in the sand while brave agents at the southern border are dealing with a full-blown crisis,” said Congressman Smith. “Resources are stretched thin at the border and we need more immigration judges, additional physical barriers, and to support the president’s request for humanitarian assistance. We don’t need any more policies from Washington that prioritize illegal immigrants over American citizens.”
Last week Congressman Smith travelled to the southern border with a bipartisan congressional delegation to the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Sector of the southern border, where illegal border crossings have spiked and border agents say conditions are the worst they’ve ever seen. In the month of May alone, law enforcement officers apprehended 144,000 migrants at the southern border, the highest monthly total in 13 years.
“Facilities are past their breaking point because migrants know if they enter our country illegally, Speaker Pelosi and her followers will give them amnesty,” said Congressman Smith.“Meanwhile the patriots protecting our border are encountering thousands of migrants every day around the clock and doing their absolute best to keep our country safe. It’s time for Speaker Pelosi and House Democrat leadership to stop enabling the cartels and traffickers and finally stand up for the American people and our sovereignty.”
