Texas Rep. Chip Roy tells the truth about what is in the awful $1.2 trillion spending bill in a House session on March 21, 2024.
Transcript
Mr. Roy is recognized for 60 Minutes as a designee of the majority leader.
I thank the Speaker, Bill. I come here to the floor recognizing the state of affairs that we find ourselves in, given the extent to which the President of the United States and his radical progressive Democrat allies on the other side of the aisle here and in the Senate are continuing an assault on the well-being of the American people with open borders, with inflationary spending, with radical environmental agenda, policies that are regulating the economy to death, driving up the cost of goods sold and overall diminishing America in the world.
There’s no other way to view it than intentional. That kind of an assault on the well-being of the American people ought to be deserves to be met with the kind of resistance that the American people who sent us here to represent them expect the American people who send at least Republicans here to be in the majority, to stand to thwart the radical policies of the Biden administration, supported by our radical progressive Democrats here in this House and in the Senate.
They sent us here to stand to thwart those policies. Therefore, it is our duty. It is incumbent upon us to actually do so. Last year, when given the majority, a number of us set out to change the way the House of Representatives works, or should I say, was not working. We set out to make sure that bills can be read, that you have 72 hours to review a bill.
We set out to ensure that you would have adequate and varied representation on the various committees we set out to ensure that there would be a process by which we could move appropriations bills out of committee onto the floor from the floor to the Senate so that we could pass individual bills to try to restore what we might call regular order.
We set out to do that last year. We passed seven appropriations bills out of the House, three more from the committees down to the floor, two others were ready to go. We passed H.R. to the strongest border security bill that has ever been moved off of the House floor. We passed limit, save, grow, which would elevate the debt responsibly while making policy changes to try to drive down the amount of debt that we’re racking up on a daily and weekly basis.
Those are the things we’re able to accomplish as Republicans. When we were honoring the commitments that we made to our constituents and we were not hiding.
Unfortunately, today, Republicans are hiding. They are hiding behind the fear of so-called shutdown and hiding behind the so-called razor thin majority to pass a massive omnibus spending bill. The second part of a two part omnibus spending bill that blows past the spending caps passed on a bipartisan basis, increases the spending over the very levels perpetuated by Nancy Pelosi that virtually every Republican in this chamber opposed not 15 months ago.
They are about to pass legislation that will blow past those caps and spend more money, and they are going to do so knowing full well that we are not achieving the vast majority, barely any of the policy changes that we fought for all last year in the appropriations process. That’s the actual truth. We are going to abandon the efforts that we set out to change this chamber last year, and we are doing it violently.
We got a bill this morning that is over a thousand pages long. $1.2 trillion, and we’re expected to pour over it in one day, in 24 hours. We are still uncovering ridiculous uses of taxpayer funds. The American people are about to learn what some of those are. But not only are we abandoning what we accomplished last year to try to take the House back, make the house work again, but we’re abandoning the people of this country, the hardworking American people right now today who are looking at their Congress and saying, what are you doing?
The ones who sent us here, who are seeing their country being taken away from them right before their very eyes and seeing their way of life being eviscerated.
This isn’t about holding on to power. We are not sent here to accumulate power. We are not sent here to run for reelection. We are sent here to do something. We are sent here to fight for the people who sent us here. And what we’re doing right now is looking at a country that we love it, country that is being destroyed, throwing up our hands as Republicans and saying that apparently it’s just not worth the fight because we might have a poll that looks bad because of shutdown.
And that’s what we’re telling the American people. Instead of using the power of the purse, the power of the purse to force change, as was stated by James Madison in Federalist Papers, 58 House of Representatives cannot only refuse, but they alone can propose the supplies requisite for the support of government. They, in a word, hold the purse that powerful instrument, all the overgrown prerogatives of the other branches of government.
This power over the purse may in fact be regarded as the most complete and effectual weapon with which any constitution can arm the immediate representatives of the people for obtaining a redress of every grievance and for carrying into effect every just and salutary measure. Those were the words of James Madison, the father of the United States Constitution, when he was arguing for the adoption of the Constitution.
He was saying that this body, the one that I’m standing in right now, the House of Representatives, through the power of the purse, is the only body in the world that can restrain the power of the executive branch, the president of the United States. We this body, in concert with the Senate, of course, hold the power to check an out of control president is the president of the United States and the people who work for him and this administration out of control.
Yes. How do we know this? Because the president, United States goes to the microphone and says he’s going to ignore the United States Supreme Court. When the Supreme Court says you cannot do what you’re doing against the law with respect to student loan bailouts. The president, United States is ignoring his duty and his oath to the Constitution to defend the border of the United States, using policies meant for very narrow exception is for asylum and parole to blow open the border and endanger the American people.
That is tyrannical activity, an abuse of power, endangering the people that we represent. That’s what is happening. That’s what the president is doing. A president who has abused his power and the FBI and the intelligence agencies. That’s what’s happening. And what is the response from Republicans? Crickets, A yawn, a whimper. Because they’re afraid that someone might cry, shut down.
They’re afraid that they might lose their precious that election certificate. That I think apparently is what gives some people in this body their worth. But an election certificate is only as good as the people that we are here to represent. And they sent us here to do something to change the place.
Today in Texas, more than 100 illegal aliens charged past the Texas National Guard. The state I represent is on fire and trying to pick up the pieces as the federal government refuses to do its job. And we saw it unfold today in real time. And what are my Republican colleagues going to do? Give the president and the Department of Homeland Security and the impeached Homeland Security secretary more money.
Someone explain that to me. Someone explain to me how any Republican can over the next six months go out and campaign against Joe Biden’s open borders when they’re writing the check and they’re going to do it tomorrow right here on the floor of this body. They’re going to write him the check and say, Here you go, Mr. President.
Thank you, sir. May I have another? Yes, I inserted Animal House.
This bill does not include one single policy necessary to secure the border. And I’m tired of hearing Republican go to the microphone, whether they’re in leadership or rank and file and say otherwise, because it’s not true. I’ve heard Republican leadership go down and talk about ice beds. don’t worry, Chip. We increased the ice beds. Are you telling the American people that the ICE memos that this administration have in full force basically make it impossible for ICE to do their job, that those beds will therefore not be filled over?
Chip, That’s for future President Trump to use. President Trump can increase the ice beds to what he had when he was president before, which was as many as 57,000 beds. This is nonsense. It’s nothing, but it’s worse than nothing. It’s actually worse than nothing because my same Republican colleagues, you go out to the microphone and say, we are going to increase Border Patrol.
First of all, good luck recruiting more Border Patrol agents right now. They can’t even achieve the numbers that they’re currently at at 17 or 18,000. No. In our bill we say, don’t worry, we’re going to be at 22,000 Border Patrol agents. Guess how our Democratic colleagues characterize that amazing feat of negotiation that Republicans carried out? They characterized it as expediting the processing of more illegals.
Because you know what? At least they’re honest about it. That is exactly what it would do. You’re going to give more funding for more Border Patrol agents to process more illegal aliens who are overrunning our border, overrunning our cities, overrunning our hospitals, overrunning our jails, overrunning our schools, driving mass crime into our communities, resulting in the death of Lake and Riley, resulting in the death Kayla Hamilton, resulting in the death of too many people.
For me to sit here and mention and Republicans are going to go cower in the corner tomorrow, wring their hands and say, we can’t talk about a shutdown, That’s what’s going to happen. And meanwhile, we’re going to go out this summer and do, what, 80th anniversary of D-Day? Let’s go give some speeches over in Normandy. What you’re so proud of this young man who walked into a wall of bullets and went up a cliff so that you can give your country away with billions of dollars to an administration that’s going to allow every single thing they fought for to get whatever way.
That’s the truth. Every Republican tomorrow and Democrat every Republican tomorrow who votes for this abomination of a bill will own personally own the mass release of illegal aliens in violation of law, because you’re funding it on top of four and a half billion releases so far. And almost 2 million got always so far. You vote for this. You own it.
You own the release of illegal aliens with notices to appear in court. As far out as 2035 and growing and limited knowledge to where they even are. You own it. You own the unlawful mass parole programs, the use of the CBP one app, the funding your voting for tomorrow will fund that of over 1 million individuals, including the known member of a Venezuelan prison gang who violently murdered Lake and Riley.
You own that. It’s not good enough to pass a bill last week and named after Lake and Riley and then come here and write the check to the very people who are responsible for allowing it to occur. You own bringing the chaos in Haiti to the shores of America via the Cuban and Haitian and Nicaragua and Venezuela Pro program.
You own that. The Haitian migrant who raped a 15 year old disabled girl who was here as a migrant in Massachusetts. You’re funding that. The dismantling, dismantling of the migrant protection protocols that were effective under the previous president. You’re funding that. You’re funding the halt of the wall construction. You’re funding the legal attacks on the state of Texas for standing up to try to secure our border, even as our national Guard get overrun.
You are funding that. If you vote for this bill tomorrow, Texas has had to spend over $12 billion of its own money. I can tell you what you’re not funding. You’re not funding. Paying Texans back. And I’m talking to my Texas delegation friends now. Are you literally going to go home to Texas when your own National Guard are getting overrun?
Your own state is not getting paid back. We’re not getting any policy changes. You’re going to increase the debt and you’re going to go try to sell that garbage to the people of Texas. Spare me when I see you campaigning this year on border security. It’s a fraud. It’s a fraud for Republicans to campaign on border security while you fund it.
You fund the lawlessness. You fund the open borders. You fund the death of Lake and Riley. You fund the fentanyl pouring into our communities and killing our kids. You own the DHS memos, policies and rules that restrict Border Patrol’s ability to do their job. You own it. You own the continued exploitation of unaccompanied minors, the little girls getting sold to the sex trafficking trade.
The 85,000 children that were lost by the very offensive refugee resettlement that you will fund tomorrow. You own it. Don’t campaign against it and then write the check. You own the funding for the sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with immigration law enforcement, which, by the way, are hamstrung in the first place by an administration that doesn’t care about the law.
You own it. Don’t go complain about sanctuary cities. You’re funding it. And it’s worse, as I said before, because DHS gets more money, they get an increase in funding, not to change the policies, but to give Border Patrol the ability to process more people quickly, which means more people come to the border.
The Defense Department is also attached to this total capitulation on our border. We continue to fund a Department of Defense in the wake of a weak National Defense Authorization Act passed in December, which, by the way, we were promised by Republican leadership was just one step. Just get pass us. Don’t worry. Then we’ll fight on spending. Well, this is what fighting on spending looks like.
I’m not sure why you bother flying to Normandy to go regale those who had the courage to go walk into a wall of bullets and scale a cliff to defend America and go fight against Nazi Germany. And this is what we do. Is this what we do when our our is before us?
We will be funding and therefore own if you vote for this bill. Biden’s illegal Department of Defense abortion travel fund, you own it. By the way, all you social conservative groups out there, all you so-called pro-life groups. Where the hell are you? Crickets. Silence. Because you care about political power more than the very thing you say you’re for.
And you know who you are. Transgender Surgery. The Pentagon. Where are the social conservative groups cowering in the corner Work D offices across the Pentagon, destroying the military morale. You can’t even recruit anybody to the Pentagon anymore. You’re funding it. Don’t complain about it while you’re funding it. Walk D-I Officers Biden’s Climate Change Executive Orders Undermining our Warfighting capabilities.
You’re funding it. The Deputy inspector General for diversity and inclusion extremism in the military. You’re funding it, you own it. The Department of Defense, its ability to classify Americans communication is misinformation. You’re funding it, you own it. State and foreign operations are part of this bill. We’re going to export the radical progressive Democrats woke agenda abroad and you’re going to pay for it while we rack up $1,000,000,000,000 of debt every 100 days.
You’re going to take that borrowing, undermine your own dollars, drive up your own inflation, funding the bureaucrats who are carrying out this agenda. Congratulations, America. That’s what your House of Representatives is doing. And that is precisely what you will have Republicans campaigning against after they funded it, after they own it. I will give credit where it is due.
Republican leadership led by the speaker, negotiated to defund UNWRA. Well, it’s about name time. Some of us were calling for that three years ago when we introduced legislation to do it. We had eight Republicans who voted against defunding UNWRA in September in the appropriations package. But guess what? October 7th is one of the most horrific attacks on one of our friends in the history.
And we realized what many of us already knew. UNWRA was right there involved. UNWRA was funding it. The United Nations world refugee, they were funding it. So congratulations. We defunded an entity that is funding terrorists against our friends, Israel. Good. Let’s put one over here in the win column. This green check box. Congratulations, Republicans. You did it. You did something that you can actually go sell.
But sorry to say, you’re still funding the World Health Organization, which wants to take away American sovereignty, that work to force COVID tyranny on the American people, force it down the throats of the American people, and in the process of negotiating a new pandemic treaty that would massively expand its reach. You funded it. Congratulations. You own it. You own the World Health Organization.
You own the dystopian. The United Nations Population Fund targeted at basically exterminating people. Congratulations. You own it. And again, to all you social conservative groups out there. Thanks.
The Gender Equity Inequality Action Fund and LGBTQ envoys. Border security for Jordan and Pakistan. You’re funding border security for Jordan and Pakistan, but you’re not doing anything to secure the border of the United States. You own it. The climate czar office, formerly occupied by John Kerry, flitting around the planet and his private planes. You paid for it. You own it, you’re funding it.
$3.8 billion for the migration and refugee assistance programs. While our southern border is not secure. Think about that again. My Republican colleagues who vote for this bill, you’re going Do I know you are? You people go following you around. You’re going to campaign against all of these things. I guess you’re going to go all in Texas Hold’em style of President Trump and say, well, it’s going to take President Trump to save us.
How’s that separation of powers thing working out for you? Did you did you skip that part of civics? There were a co-equal branch of government. but shit, we can’t do that. We need a president to save us. Why the hell are you in Congress? We’re actually supposed to be more important than the President of the United States.
That’s why we’re Article one. But we’re too chicken to use the power. The most powerful tool that we have. These guys can’t do what they’re doing to the American people and to our country without the money to do it. And not only are we giving them the money, we’re giving them more money, and we’re borrowing to do it at extraordinary rates.
Anybody be reminded that we are now spending more on our interest on the debt than we are on defense this year? But all of the hawks in here who are totally happy selling out our country vote by vote so they can go home and say they brought home a troop pay raise. Great. But you’re now spending more on insurance than you are on the Pentagon.
And in two years, you’re crafting $1,000,000,000,000 in interest. The president’s budget that he just sent to us has a spending more on interest over the next decade. Every year than we do on defense. Congratulations, Republicans. You own it. How about the FBI headquarters? Good job, Republicans. You went out and campaign when we passed the last omnibus bill and said we got cuts to the FBI, went out and sold that.
First of all, it was bogus. The vast majority, the cuts came from one earmark from a building in Alabama that Richard Shelby got last Congress. He’s no longer here to defend. So you axed it and then claimed you had some massive cut to the FBI. That’s called swamp politics. But now in this omnibus spending bill, guess what? We go ahead and fund the new FBI headquarters.
So who cares that the FBI just massively spied on the American people? By the way, we haven’t done anything about that except for extend their powers through the continuation of Pfizer without actually putting in a warrant to protect warrantless searches. we haven’t done that yet. Put that over there. Is another thing. Republicans own continued spying on Americans without warrants to protect them.
Good job. Where are you going? To go check that campaign box this year. We’re going to go stop, make sure that Pfizer is no longer abused by the FBI. We’re going to protect you, but we’re not going to do it when we have the power to do it.
$200 million to the FBI for its new headquarters. We don’t prohibit the Treasury from establishing a central bank, digital currency, which we did in the House bill. Now, somebody tell me, how can you not negotiate to stop the formation of a central bank, digital currency, One of the most pernicious assaults on freedom that you could possibly have? We couldn’t even stand up as Republicans to demand that that stop.
We passed it here in the House. The Senate didn’t want it, apparently, or the Biden administration didn’t want it. So in our grand negotiation, we didn’t even do that. Do you know what a central bank digital currency could do? It can totally shut your life down based on whatever they choose to prioritize using too much gas because you didn’t get an electric vehicle.
No, sorry. We’re shutting you down by too much ammo this month. Nope. Shutting you down. The ChiComs do this on a regular basis. We’re trying to get in front of that thinking that maybe the basic foundational principles in the Constitution matter. But nope. No, we couldn’t even negotiate that. So congratulations, Republicans. You own the continued ability of the executive branch to work up the formation and creation of a central bank digital currency.
Congratulations. You own it. No prohibition on the funds to invest in so-called ESG and the federal Thrift Savings Plan, which we had gotten adopted, got punted. No prohibition on funds for federal employee health insurance plans to cover the cost of transgender affirming care. Guess what? Republicans? You own it. You’re paying for it. Go home to your colleague, your constituents, and explain to them how excited you are to take their tax dollars and then add to that a bunch of borrowing to fund transgender affirming care.
Good job. You own that. No prohibition on implementing Biden’s climate change goes no government wide prohibition on vaccine mandates. A few partial ones. We always want to be fair. There was a note in the bill that moderately defunded the COVID vaccine mask mandates. There was a modest defunding of the Wuhan lab in the Dodd bill, but in the vast majority of it over at HHS, all were the stuff in there that was carried out right there, still there.
Congratulations. We shut down the biggest economy in the history of the world. We racked up $8 trillion in debt. We put our kids behind now to the tune of trillions of dollars of economic harm, all because we allowed the Wuhan lab to be abused, which we funded. And guess what? We’re still funding it. Republicans own it. Don’t go out and campaign against the China virus or the Wuhan virus or the Wuhan lab.
You own it. You’re funding it right now. Today you’re doing it. House Republicans have aggressive cuts to HHS last year, but now we’re going to give $1,000,000,000 increase. We’re still funding the student loan Ponzi scheme. You go out and you go criticize President Biden and the student loan program, ignoring the Supreme Court. You’re funding it, gender affirming surgeries and drugs.
You’re funding it research with aborted fetal tissue. You’re funding it. HHS in D.O.D. offices, you’re funding it. President Biden’s radical anti-worker agenda, you’re funding it. You’re funding the Wuhan lab. Again, I’d like to give a shout out to the social conservative groups out there for being so invested in life and die and all the issues involving, say, aborted fetal tissue that you’re doing nothing about this bill because you like power.
Earmarks. We banned earmarks at one point. The previous omnibus spending bill had something like 6000 or something, earmarks. I don’t even know. Again, it’s hard to keep count. This one. And it had a bunch more because it was transportation. Everybody loves get their little bridges in the roads and stuff, but they’re always like bike paths and all sorts crazy stuff named after crazy people using your money.
I’m not sure where that where that is in Article one, Section eight. But whatever the bill contains, 1400 earmarks this one does for $2 billion. Now they go to just an earmark. I’m a member of Congress. I don’t wanna let a bureaucrat decide this. I get to decide how this is spent. I get to bring home something to my district that is so critically important to the well-being of my constituents, because that’s what they all say.
That’s what they say when they bring back earmarks. Chip, we know how to do this better than the bureaucrats. Why would you stand in the way of these all knowing congressmen to make the right decisions for their constituents rather than turning over that power to the bureaucrats? Okay, let’s see how that’s working out for you, America. $156,000 for the heart for gay and lesbian Health Collective, an organization self-described as champions of I don’t know how many letters I got to put here together, LGBTQ, A-plus equity and provides training on LGBTQ plus cultural competency and accessing health care for LGBTQ plus youth.
Well, that’s a good use of money. $1.1 million for an innovation hub. While EVs pile up on all the car dealerships around the country. While we fund the Chinese to make sure that they’re enriched, while we kill natural gas and kill energy in this country and make it harder for Americans to work. But I digress. We did a really cool bill today on energy.
So everything’s good. $2 million Oregon clinic that provides hormone therapy to kids, $850,000 for LGBTQ senior housing in Massachusetts. Yes, gay senior housing. Good job, Republicans. That’s what you’re funding. $400,000 for Brier Patch Youth Services in Wisconsin. One of their programs is called Teens Like US LGBTQ. I hate I hate to ask whatever that is with a gender affirming clothing program for ages 13 to 18, you’re funding it, you own it.
$400,000 to the Garden State Equality Education Fund in New Jersey helps minors transition genders, promote biological boys, playing girl sports and using the same restrooms. Congratulations, Republicans, you own it. $5 million for Mary Center for Maternal and Child Care in Maryland. Does transgender procedures, quote, Mary’s Center can serve as your home base during the transition process. Congratulations, Republicans.
And again, special shout out to all you great social conservative groups out there just whistling Dixie while this is happening. $1 million for the inner city Muslim network which calls for the destruction of Israel. So guess what? We’re going to go send an invitation for Bibi Netanyahu to come address a joint session right here in this body. And I’m sure we’ll get up and everybody will.
A little Israel panel go, yay, Israel, We love Israel. And, you know, then bow, let’s go give $1,000,000 to the inner city mazel network which calls for the destruction of Israel. Good job, Republicans. You own it. $1.6 million for Cape Cod electric busses, Cape Cod electric busses, $350,000 for theater programs, $567,000 for an inclusive playground. What is an inclusive playground for 34 Mangawhai When I was a kid, an inclusive playground was a bunch of bars that basically were about 150 degrees in the summer heat that you scalded yourself on, where you’re hanging up over a bunch of asphalt and taking your life in your own hands.
It was equal equals stupid but fun. This I don’t even know what an inclusive playground is, but here he $567,000 of money printed right out of thin air. Here you go. $650,000 for the Dartmouth Hitchcock. Nashua, New Hampshire also provides late term abortion. Shut out again. The social conservative groups completely M.I.A. $740,000 for increasing diversity in state hiring for the state of Maryland.
Maryland can’t figure out how to fund their own diversity programs. Not getting a federal grant out of printed money, $870,000 for a group that wants to defund the police in Connecticut. So Republicans who get up and rant about police being defunded are going to fund the defunding of police in Connecticut. You can’t make this stuff up. You can’t $655,000 for Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition, Inc.
I don’t even know what that is. I could keep going. I can keep going. The American people did not send us to Washington to continue down the road of destruction for the greatest country in the history of the world, for for which so many men and women have died to defend and protect. It. Cherry blossoms are all exploding.
We go walked down by the Tidal Basin, we walk down by the Jefferson Memorial, will read all those words. We walk across by the Lincoln Memorial, go across the Memorial Bridge to what, 400,000 tombstones on the other side of the Potomac for those who either actually gave the last full measure of devotion or were willing to do it and survived and came back and were buried there, what did those 400,000 give that last full measure of devotion for?
It wasn’t for this. And yet Republicans can’t paint on it all the time and then fund it. I don’t know how to go back to the people that I represent in Texas and tell them that while the National Guard had 100 illegal aliens bum rush them in El Paso, while we’ve got young women like Lincoln Riley getting killed by somebody released on Mass for all, well, a two year old right outside of the nation’s capital gets killed by someone let out on mass parole by this administration, ignoring the laws in danger of our people, undermining our sovereignty.
I want to know for the life of me how a single Republican can look with a straight face at the people that they represent and say that funding that is consistent with their oath to the Constitution, consistent with their duty to the people they represent, consistent with the fiscal responsibility they paint on, consistent with the border security that they paint on.
I want to know how they do that. If any Republican votes for this omnibus spending bill tomorrow, he or she owns it, owns every one of those funding priorities, owns the open borders, owns the Pentagon, owns the recruiting chaos at the Pentagon, owns the World Health Organization, continuing to be funded to undermine our sovereignty. This omnibus bill is the anti American sovereignty omnibus bill, and Republicans should not vote for it.
We didn’t come here for more of the same. While our kids have to inherit 34 and a half trillion dollars of debt and another trillion dollars of debt every 100 days, there will not be a country left to stand next to Israel. There will not be a country left to help Ukraine. There will not be a country left for our kids to inherit if you’re borrowing, mortgaging their future, all to pay for open borders, undermining our sovereignty.
World organizations designed to undermine our sovereignty, all purposeful while my colleagues sit back and go, Gosh, I hope President Trump wins and I hope President Trump comes in and that he’ll save us. And as one individual was arguing with me here on the floor today, when I said, why are we doing this? Well, we can’t have a shutdown.
We would lose. Well, boy, that’s that’s courageous. But okay, what if I accept your premise? What if I accept your premise that we can’t do this because we have a thin majority in the House and we don’t have the Senate? We have a radical regime in the White House. Let me accept your premise. I’ve been around the block here in town a couple of times.
What happens next January, say Republicans run the trifecta and Republicans win the White House. President Trump’s coming back in. We have the Senate will say 52 or three seats and we have a ten seat majority or 15 seat majority here in the House. Then what? Someone tell me then what? Because I’ve been there before. We were there in 2017 and we didn’t repeal Obamacare and we didn’t pass health care reform.
We were there in 2018 and we didn’t pass border security. GOODLATTE one. GOODLATTE two, We couldn’t figure out what we were doing. We didn’t do it. And what I said to this individual on the floor today was I said, you know what the excuse will be? We don’t have 60 in the Senate. And that individual said, well, we got to have a conversation about that because that individual knows full well that the same excuses being levied right now to foist this monstrosity, this abomination on the American people, will be the same excuse in January we can’t shut down the government.
We have. You need 60 votes in the Senate, Chip. Don’t you understand? Yeah, I do understand. So Do the American people and they’re tired of it. They’re tired of having their country traded away day by day, second by second. Well, our National Guard get stormed at the border in El Paso, and we don’t do anything about it. But we walk around wearing little pins, feeling good about ourselves as members of Congress who refuse to stand up and defend the very Constitution that gave us the power to do something about it.
Instead of deferring to the president, we are supposed to the Article One Power of the country under the Constitution to stop funding an executive branch that is at war with its own people. We came here to change it last year. We started to we were working together to change this place, to vote bills off the floor, to have single subject bills and to have 72 hours, a mere 72 hours to read a bill.
And in just over a year, we’ve tossed all of that out the window and we’re back to business as usual. Jam a bill through and 24 hours. It’s over 1000 pages. That’s $1.2 trillion littered with all manners of sin and earmarks and spending and programs that are undermining the well-being of the American people. We’re still figuring out what’s in it.
So tomorrow, Republicans have a choice. You can choose to fund an executive branch at odds and at war with the American people that you represent. Or you can choose to say no if you refuse to say no, if you go along to get along, you own it. You own every penny. You own every program. You own every American who gets harmed by open borders.
So don’t dare come looking for sympathy as you’re trying to campaign all year, trying to win votes when your constituents come up to you and say, well, why in the hell did you fund it? Because you did that. Mr. Speaker, I’m prepared to yield some time to a colleague of mine to say anything on this so that he can, I think, regale a basketball team or or talk about some good stuff back home, which is always a good thing to do.
