With the start of fiscal year 2024 just days away on Oct. 1, and with no federal budget approval in sight, a continuing resolution again will regrettably be necessary. But any such continuing resolution cannot just perpetuate the status quo ante.
To get my vote, it needs to include four things: funding to secure the border; creation of a “Byrd”-style committee to review federal expenditures and cut wasteful spending; release of all of the unredacted Capitol surveillance footage of Jan. 6, 2021; and invocation of the Holman Rule, Congress’ authority to hold federal bureaucrats accountable by cutting their salaries or terminating their employment.
Border Security
The crisis at the southern border has been out of control since President Joe Biden took office, and nothing has been done to improve the situation. In fact, Biden’s actions have only worsened the problem.
From allowing the border to be overrun following the expiration of Trump-era policies to tearing down critical sections of the wall to make crossing easier and from ending the “Remain in Mexico” policy to selling unused border wall construction materials, Biden has done everything in his power to exacerbate the border crisis and threaten our national security.
In 2023 alone, there have already been 146 apprehensions of persons on the terrorist watchlist at the border, and what’s to say there aren’t just as many or more who haven’t been apprehended? Meanwhile, the fentanyl epidemic is leaving thousands of Americans dead on the streets, and more than 85,000 unaccompanied minors have crossed the border illegally and are unaccounted for in a country with the world’s largest market for child sexual exploitation.
For all these reasons and many others, I cannot in good conscience support a continuing resolution that does not address the Biden border crisis.
Bidenflation
Another crisis facing every single American is the failure of Bidenomics. Inflation has hit record highs under the Biden administration and has remained elevated for more than two years. It has increased the cost of everyday essentials, whether it’s Americans’ electric bill, grocery tab, or tank of gas.
On average, according to CNN, American households are spending more than $700 more per month on their basic cost of living. That’s mainly due to the unprecedented spending by House Democrats in the prior Congress and the Biden administration.
To get spending under control, I call on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to establish a House “Byrd Committee” to assess the reduction of nonessential government spending. The original joint Byrd Committee, named for then-Sen. Harry F. Byrd, was established in 1941 and remained intact until 1974. During its tenure, the committee sought to review all proposed expenditures by the federal government, identifying examples of waste and recommending their elimination.
At a time when federal spending has been virtually unchecked, accountability and transparency are imperative.
Jan. 6 Capitol Surveillance Video
In the spirit of transparency, it’s high time for the unredacted footage of the Jan. 6 protests at the Capitol to be released to the public. Leftist hacks and Washington elites have been withholding the videos for some unknown reason, and it’s hard to believe it doesn’t have something to do with their desire to cover up the truth.
In order to put rumors and speculation to rest, unfettered access must be granted to the American people.
Federal Salaries as Leverage
Finally, we should invoke the Holman Rule—which dates to 1876 and is named after its sponsor, a congressman from Indiana—specifically against special counsel Jack Smith and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
The power to appropriate funding for their salaries lies with Congress, and we should hold them accountable. The Holman Rule is Congress’ ability to cut the salary or position of federal employees who are not working in the best interests of the American people.
Smith is nothing more than Biden’s and Attorney General Merrick Garland’s puppet for attacking their political opponent, and Mayorkas has been utterly derelict in his duty to secure the southern border.
It’s time to stop using Americans’ hard-earned taxpayer dollars to fund Democrats’ partisan witch hunts and instead put that money back in the pockets of Americans.
It’s a disservice to the American people if House Republicans don’t use their majority leverage to demand real change to the status quo. I have been fighting, and will continue to fight, for border security, greater reins on spending, increased transparency, and justice for the American people.
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