[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 61 (Wednesday, April 6, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H4384-H4388]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CRISES THE WHITE HOUSE IS CAUSING AT HOME AND ABROAD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Mrvan). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 4, 2021, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Johnson) 
is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Louisiana?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, during the last election, the 
Democratic Party managed to win a razor-thin majority here in this 
House and a split Senate, 50-50. No objective person can look at those 
numbers and suggest that the President of this party, President Biden, 
was given any kind of authority whatsoever to try to radically 
transform our country, but, you know, that is exactly what he has tried 
to do for the worse.
  And the latest offense, the latest overstep, the latest overreach is 
this President has made the most leftwing nomination to the Supreme 
Court in American history.

  For those who didn't see this over the weekend, Judge Ketanji Brown 
Jackson testified in her post-confirmation hearing written questions 
for the record: ``I do not hold a position on whether individuals 
possess natural rights.''
  You heard that correctly. President Biden's nominee for the highest 
court in this land cannot say whether individuals possess natural 
rights. We can hardly imagine a more un-American position than denying 
the first self-evident truth of America.
  The central and foundational premise of our great country is that all 
individuals are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable 
rights. Among those are the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of 
happiness.
  We have a newsflash for the judge: Those rights don't come from 
government; they don't come from any human authority. They come from 
our creator himself. We are endowed with those rights by God.
  The fact that Judge Jackson cannot or will not acknowledge this 
simple fact is disqualifying for the highest court in this land, 
period, full stop.
  Mr. Speaker, the President's nomination is truly out of step with the 
country and this fateful moment.
  And the primary job Americans elected President Biden to do was to 
help unite this country. This is doing the opposite.
  His nomination for the Supreme Court is the latest example of just 
how badly he has failed.
  I am very thankful to my colleagues for joining me on the floor this 
evening to discuss President Biden's radical nominee to the United 
States Supreme Court, but also, as you will hear, the myriad number of 
other crises the White House is creating at home and abroad.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Miller).

                              {time}  1930

  Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, title 42 is the only thing 
keeping President Biden from fully handing our border to cartels and 
smugglers already taking full advantage of his incompetence and 
neglect.
  Last week, the Biden administration announced that they will be 
stopping Border Patrol from enforcing COVID-19 restrictions on illegal 
immigrants by ending title 42.
  Title 42 must stay in place. It is a matter of national security, and 
my colleagues and I are calling on Democrats to act in a bipartisan 
effort to

[[Page H4385]]

force a vote on the bill to keep it in place.
  Biden's open border policies are an unmitigated disaster. The crisis 
at our southern border is out of control and our Customs and Border 
Patrol is already dangerously overwhelmed.
  Ending title 42 expulsions will signal to cartels and migrants that 
our border is now wide open, inciting more violence and lawlessness.
  It is also being reported that the Biden administration is going to 
divert resources from our veterans in order to give free medical care 
to illegal migrants.
  I wrote a letter to the secretary of Veterans Affairs to oppose these 
efforts because we must put our heroes first and stand up for our 
veterans.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for 
drawing attention to that. The gentlewoman is exactly right, and some 
of the Border Patrol officials have said that they estimate that by 
rescinding title 42, that the number of illegal border crossings will 
double overnight. So instead of having 7,000 a day, we will go to 18, 
20,000 a day. The numbers are just staggering.
  Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield next to the gentleman from Tennessee 
(Mr. Burchett).
  Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to the 
great State of Tennessee.
  Mr. Speaker, a recent CNBC survey illustrates how Americans are 
feeling about inflation. Fifty-two percent of adults reported they are 
under more financial stress today than they were 1 year ago.
  The poll also shows how consumers spending habits changed over the 
last 6 months in response to rising prices: Fifty-three percent say 
they are cutting back on dining out; 39 percent are driving less; 32 
percent switched from a brand-name product; and 29 percent canceled a 
vacation.
  The economy is in a tailspin, Mr. Speaker, thanks to President 
Biden's Big Government agenda. His failed policies are making the cost 
of doing business more expensive, and those increased costs are passed 
directly on to consumers.
  Many companies use catchy slogans and taglines to advertise their 
services but, in this economy, some businesses might rethink their 
marketing campaigns.
  Remember the $5 foot-long at Subway? It costs at least $10 for a 
foot-long sandwich from Subway these days, Mr. Speaker.
  Southwest Airlines' low-cost flight motto is ``Wanna Get Away?'' 
Flights are now so expensive; Southwest should change its offers to 
Wanna Go One Way? Did you catch that? One way, since that is all 
travelers obviously can afford.
  Walmart tells customers they will ``Save Money, Live Better'' by 
shopping at its stores. Americans are probably thinking more along the 
line of Spend Money, Live Worse after making a trip to Walmart in 
recent weeks.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, lots of folks are doing their banking with 
Capital One, which asks ``What's in Your Wallet?'' Pretty soon Capital 
One will be asking consumers What's Left in Your Wallet?'' Thanks to 
rising prices.
  Mr. Speaker, Americans are really just fed up with President Biden's 
handling of the economy. From the same CNBC poll I referenced earlier, 
61 percent disapprove of the President's response to inflation, and 81 
percent fear a recession is coming in 2022. And I would dare say, CNBC 
is not the most conservative folks out there.
  Earlier this week, thank goodness, Elon Musk, he swooped into Twitter 
to save the company from the woke politics that are running it into the 
ground, censorship being one of those.
  President Biden needs a similar hero who can come in and stop this 
administration from destroying the economy. Alternatively, he could 
simply give up on his Big Government agenda that is failing American 
citizens, Mr. Speaker.
  I appreciate Vice Chairman Johnson's lackluster leadership and his 
constant mention of complimentary snacks which are not here, coming 
forthwith.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend; we always 
need a little moment of brevity, don't we? The news is so bad, but the 
gentleman pointed out and highlighted how difficult the times are, and 
that is a serious subject.
  Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield next to the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Bergman), who holds the distinction of being the highest-
ranking military officer ever elected to the United States Congress, my 
classmate, president of our freshman class. I still call him the 
general.
  Mr. BERGMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my esteemed colleague from 
Louisiana, who I rely on. If you are going to be worth anything as a 
military commander, you rely on the folks who work for you. And I can 
tell you, I spent a lot of time with lawyers, and the gentleman is the 
best when it comes to constitutional law. So I am proud to be here with 
him today to talk about kind of a certain level of, you could say, 
lawlessness.
  President Biden's favorite policy, public policy shop, also known as 
the CDC, announced that it would lift title 42, which has been used 
nearly 2 million times since March of 2020, to remove illegal 
immigrants.
  When title 42 is lifted this May, even more illegal immigrants will 
be incentivized to cross our southern border. This will spark an 
unprecedented surge, considering that we have already experienced 
record-high illegal border crossings under President Biden in his first 
year plus.

  As border violations rise, so does the number of violent criminals 
allowed into our communities. I regret these circumstances forced upon 
our Nation by President Biden's careless policies. Because of this, we 
must be prepared for more illegal immigrant crime.
  For this reason, I will be introducing legislation next week called 
the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Restoration Act, or the 
VOICE Restoration Act.
  VOICE was an office set up by President Trump to connect victims of 
illegal immigrant crimes; connect them to their legal representatives, 
to any witnesses, with supportive resources like a hotline to answer 
questions, local contacts, Social Services referrals, and information 
about the custody status of detained illegal immigrants.
  In 2021, President Biden dismantled VOICE--I repeat, dismantled 
VOICE.
  Think, for a second, what that says about him and his policies, and 
what he thinks about innocent American citizens.
  My legislation will permanently reinstate the VOICE office, and I 
look forward to sharing more of the details soon.
  We have an out-of-control crisis on our southern border; predictable 
and avoidable, but it is so massive that it is impacting cities and 
towns all across our country.
  The Democrat leadership in Congress and in the White House have done 
nothing about this. This must change soon. And I know it is going to 
change here in probably about another 8 months, because we are going to 
have some new leadership.
  And my promise to you, as a marine who doesn't know the word 
``quit,'' is that, in the meantime, every day between now and then, I 
won't stop fighting, along with others, to secure our borders.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for that 
fight and that very worthwhile legislation, and we look forward to 
seeing that.
  The gentleman is right. The surge in crime is directly related to 
border in so many ways because we know dangerous people have come 
across that border. It is completely open to MS-13 gang members, 
violent criminals, convicted persons, criminals who come from other 
countries. You have child predators, even terrorists who have come 
across that border. We know this for a fact, and still they won't 
change the policies.
  Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield next to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. LaMalfa.)
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, President Biden recently announced his 
fiscal year 2023 budget, the proposal includes a plan to spend $73 
trillion in a 10-year period that will add $15 trillion to our national 
debt; this at a time when government spending is already driving 
inflation and making all these items that much more expensive: Airline 
fares, lodging, gas, the cost of automobiles, new or used.
  I stopped in at a dealer the other day and they are finding that 
people are actually willing to pay more for a used

[[Page H4386]]

car than what the car cost new, or trucks. It is crazy.
  So the American people are suffering right now under these economic 
conditions, all man-caused, all government-caused, pretty much.
  So with record-breaking inflation and gas prices, we are, instead, 
having a budget that is crafted to not combat these issues, but add to 
them. It radicalizes our energy in the new Green Deal that these guys 
want to do, making more cost, making energy even less available to 
Americans.
  It includes zero mention of resuming the Keystone Pipeline, since 
that was something on the first day of office they decided to put a 
stop to.
  The budget should be focused on getting people back to work, to 
making America thrive, combating inflation, not causing it; 
strengthening our energy independence, which will bring prices down, 
not playing around with the strategic reserve and, you know, bleeding 
out a million barrels per day.
  That strategic reserve has a purpose, and it isn't playing economics 
with it; it is supposed to be there for, indeed, a time of crisis for 
our country.
  So, instead of relying on Russian oil and relying on other imported 
oil from Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, whoever, we can do our own national 
oil independence with our own known reserves.
  So, the direction the Biden administration is taking with all this 
spending, it is starting to mimic my home State of California really, 
because our regulatory and tax policies there are already the model for 
what not to do. The Federal Government shouldn't follow that.
  So let's come back to common sense. I urge President Biden and the 
Democrats to not adopt this giant spending plan but move in a direction 
of getting people back into production again. Come out of this COVID 
crisis, put them back to work, have our economy thrive, with our energy 
independence, food independence, because California's ag situation is 
being decimated by the water being taken away.
  I asked the President to help us on this. Help us grow food in this 
country and get prices back down and not have empty shelves. That 
should be focus of how you help American people, not more crazy 
spending.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. So much 
of that is just common sense, and I appreciate him pointing it out.
  But sadly, unfortunately, this White House shows no intention 
whatsoever of reversing its policies and positions, which could fix 
these problems.
  Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to yield next to the gentleman from the 
great State of Texas (Mr. Babin).
  Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I certainly appreciate my good friend from my 
neighbor, Louisiana, Mr. Johnson, for having this Special Order.
  No, it doesn't look like things are going to change, as the gentleman 
said. Joe Biden has no interest in securing the southern border. He has 
proven it time and time again over the last 14 months.

  On day one of his Presidency, our Commander in Chief stopped 
completely the construction of our border wall, which is, by the way, 
something that Congress appropriated funds for and is something that we 
know for a fact deters illegal crossings.
  In fact, the Department of Homeland Security reported that illegal 
entries in areas with the new border wall system along the Yuma sector 
plummeted more than 87 percent in fiscal year 2020, compared with the 
previous year of 2019.
  President Biden's foolish decision to stop construction of this wall 
left millions of taxpayer dollars' worth of steel just rusting away in 
the hot sun and the cold, wet winters; millions of your tax dollars 
simply gone to waste.
  He ended remain in Mexico, a policy that The Washington Post reported 
made illegal apprehensions fall by 30 percent in its very first year 
alone.
  He has tied the hands of ICE who, last year, deported the lowest 
number of illegal aliens since 1995, despite more than 2 million alien 
apprehensions. Interior enforcement is drying up to nothing.
  And now he is scrapping title 42, the very last policy that saves CBP 
from drowning in a complete sea of chaos.
  But if all of this isn't enough to convince you that Joe Biden 
doesn't have your best interests in mind, take a look at his budget 
request for 2023. He wants $73 trillion--that is with a T--in spending, 
$58 trillion--another T--more in taxes. And our debt will increase by 
$16 trillion--with a T--over the next decade.
  I did a quick search for the phrase ``border security'' in this 
budget. It is mentioned twice. We are facing the worst border crisis on 
record and a historic number of fentanyl overdoses from drugs illegally 
smuggled into our country, over 100,000 dead Americans from drug 
overdoses, and yet, the President mentioned border security only twice.
  Do you know how often he mentions the word ``climate''? 187 times.
  Joe Biden claims that he is working to protect America but, folks, 
the facts actually say otherwise. The facts show that he doesn't care 
about keeping you and your family safe. The facts show he doesn't care 
about protecting the livelihood that you worked so hard for. And the 
facts show that he doesn't care about the sovereignty or the security 
of our great Nation that we love, a beacon of liberty and freedom for 
all the world to look at and envy.
  That is why they are coming here. Shame on President Biden.

                              {time}  1945

  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, John Adams said facts are 
stubborn things, and those are some tough facts. They cannot refute it 
because everyone can see for themselves.
  By the way, Dr. Babin, I just pulled up the U.S. debt clock, this 
thing that everybody can see on their smartphone. Currently, right now, 
as we stand here, the national debt is $30,367,412,900. You can't count 
it or follow it with the naked eye. Unbelievable. And he is proposing 
more.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Clyde).
  Mr. CLYDE. Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate your leadership and 
willingness to highlight the issues facing our country, including the 
very serious issue of the possible confirmation of an unqualified 
person, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, to the U.S. Supreme Court.
  President Biden's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, 
commonly known as KBJ, is simply unfit to serve our Nation's highest 
court.
  Throughout her legal career, Judge Jackson has garnered a 
disconcerting record of being soft on crime, as evidenced by her 
lenient sentencing, particularly for criminals convicted of egregious 
acts involving child sex torture. Judge Jackson simply is incapable of 
holding dangerous criminals accountable.
  Additionally, Judge KBJ has revealed her allegiance to the radical 
left by refusing to define what a woman is, excusing her extremism by 
claiming she isn't a biologist. There are indisputable differences 
between men and women, and those differences must be both acknowledged 
and accepted in order for KBJ to properly adjudicate title IX cases.
  Judge Jackson also recently declined to recognize Americans' natural 
rights, the precious rights granted to us by God. Failing to accept the 
basic principle that individuals possess unalienable rights, a 
principle that is the very foundation of our American values, is 
supremely disqualifying for any individual seeking to serve our 
Nation's highest court.
  Yet, despite Judge Jackson's frightening record and recent 
disqualifying revelations, the Senate intends to vote to potentially 
confirm her to the Supreme Court this week.
  While it is true that Judge Jackson's confirmation will not 
immediately alter the makeup of the Court, it is naive and cowardly to 
make excuses when the stakes are this high. Our country, our liberties, 
and the makeup of the Supreme Court are on the line.
  If Judge Jackson becomes a Supreme Court Justice, she will serve for 
decades, solidifying and strengthening the left's menacing grip of our 
rule of law. Her decisions will impact future Americans for generations 
to come, setting precedent that will ultimately guide our great Nation 
once many of us in these Chambers are long gone.
  This is exactly why Judge Jackson's confirmation is much larger than 
just one vote. It is about preserving justice, protecting our freedoms, 
and defending our Constitution.

[[Page H4387]]

  Mr. Speaker, I urge every solitary Senator to contemplate their vote 
and the significant weight that it carries for our future. I encourage 
them to vote ``no'' on this confirmation.
  Without question, Americans from Maine to Utah to Alaska, from sea to 
shining sea, are watching intently, praying their Senators' votes will 
represent our Nation's constitutional principles rather than 
appeasement to the left.
  America is watching. Will our Senators defend America by voting 
``no,'' or will they shrink back? We will not forget.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for 
highlighting that. It is a serious issue.
  The longest-lasting legacy of any President is who they put on those 
Federal courts, and, of course, the most important is the highest court 
in the land. We cannot overstate how important this is.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Rose), my 
good friend.
  Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for 
hosting this Special Order tonight.
  Mr. Speaker, President Biden's budget is symbolic of his wasteful 
build back broke agenda that was filled with partisan provisions.
  There is $73 trillion in new spending, $58 trillion in taxes, and $16 
trillion in new debt, all over the next 10 years.
  When hardworking Tennesseans get together and come up with a 
household budget, they have difficult conversations with one another 
about what exactly they can afford. If something falls under the 
category of unnecessary and unaffordable, the last thing they do is put 
it on their grandchildren's credit cards. That is exactly what this 
budget does.
  President Biden and congressional Democrats praising his proposal are 
now on record seeming to have no issue with mortgaging our country and 
its children's futures, even amidst the largest increase in inflation 
since 1982.
  There are many wasteful provisions in President Biden's budget 
proposal, like the $11 billion being sent to foreign developing 
countries to help adapt to global warming. The one that I struggle with 
the most is the one that gives $400 million to Planned Parenthood and 
other entities that perform abortions.
  The Hyde amendment has existed in every Federal appropriations bill 
since 1976. It is one of the most longstanding and bipartisan 
agreements to protect Federal taxpayer dollars from going toward 
abortion.
  President Biden's decision to purposefully keep this out of his 
budget proposal is wrong and will never get my support nor the support 
of my constituents in middle Tennessee who are firmly pro-life.
  Leaving out the Hyde amendment is only another partisan attempt to 
advertise the President's anti-life position and satisfy those who 
support the horrible atrocities of abortion.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members of the Congress to stand firm in 
their commitment to protecting life. We must restore the Hyde amendment 
and reject President Biden's budget because no Tennessean's tax 
dollars, nor dollars borrowed from our children and grandchildren, 
should go toward subsidizing Planned Parenthood and the immoral 
practice of abortion.

  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, that was so well said. I 
appreciate the gentleman highlighting that issue. It is one of so many 
that we have deep concerns about with this administration and their 
budget and everything they do.
  We have to protect the sanctity of every single human life. To defend 
the defenseless is the job that we have--the first job, the primary 
job.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).
  Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, our country is obviously in bad shape, and 
I think our forefathers, if they saw the way we operated today, would 
be quite stunned and wonder where in their Constitution they let us 
down to wind up where we are today.
  I think of the three branches of government. The judiciary is the one 
which right now has let down the Framers the most. Our forefathers 
realized that a country with elections usually eventually fails because 
the majority can either want, or be manipulated into wanting, more 
stuff, or ordering other people around to order them to be obeyed the 
way they would like other people to be behaved.
  The Bill of Rights is almost exclusively about restricting the role 
of government in American life. Obviously, the Supreme Court has 
largely abandoned that function. Things got bad in the 1930s and 1940s, 
and again in the 1960s. Today, one wonders what the Court will ever say 
no to.
  Where will Judge Jackson fit as we try to defend our Constitution? We 
look at her inability to say what a woman is and her inability to talk 
about judicial philosophy, and we know where she will stand. She stands 
with woke America. I hate that word, but that is what it is. It is 
somebody who has no respect for tradition. If you have no respect for 
tradition or common sense, you certainly don't have that near 
reverence, which should be a requirement for any Supreme Court Justice.
  Furthermore, President Biden got himself in a position in which he 
said he is going to have to promote a Black woman to that position. The 
very idea that you think decisions on a court should vary with the 
background of the person who is on that court shows you don't have that 
respect for the Constitution.
  All Americans should have an originalist view of the Constitution and 
consider it the great, almost God-given, document that it is.
  In any event, when you don't have that respect for the Constitution, 
you know you are not going to respect the Second Amendment. You are not 
going to respect the 10th Amendment; it is a disaster we have ignored 
it. You are going to continue to stretch the Commerce Clause all out of 
whack. You are going to look at every individual as a member of a 
group, never as an individual in their own right.
  Right now, about 2 percent of the lawyers in the country are Black 
women. So, what Joe Biden did is he took 98 percent of the possible 
resumes for this very important job and threw them in the garbage.
  I wonder if President Biden does that anywhere else in his life? Does 
he throw away 98 percent of the resumes or potential resumes when he is 
looking for a new dentist, a new plumber, a new clergyman, throw out 98 
percent willy-nilly? That is what he has done in picking a new Supreme 
Court Justice who could well be on the Court for the next 40 years.
  Our forefathers felt that by giving us this Constitution--they 
pointed out that this Constitution is fit for moral and religious 
people and not fit for anyone else. Will Judge Jackson respect that? I 
don't know.
  When they finished the Constitution, Benjamin Franklin said: We are 
giving you a republic, if you can keep it.
  We are, right now, being tested whether we are the moral and 
religious people that can keep the republic that the forefathers felt 
they described in the Constitution.
  It looks to me, from everything you hear about her, that Judge 
Jackson is not going to have that reverence to keep that Constitution, 
to keep that republic. We will, therefore, with judges like that, wind 
up collapsing.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of wisdom 
there. The gentleman is exactly right. If a judge begins with the 
premise that we have no natural rights, that does not bode well for 
where that logic leads.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Keller).
  Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, many times, we have heard President Biden 
and his administration say that the crisis we are facing at our 
southern border is seasonal. There is nothing seasonal about 1 million 
illegal aliens crossing our southern border in 6 months. There is 
nothing seasonal about 400,000 illegal alien got-aways going undetected 
into our country.
  The crisis at our southern border is the direct result of President 
Biden overturning successful policies put in place by Donald Trump.
  First, Biden halted the construction of the border wall. Then, he 
rescinded the remain in Mexico policy. Now, he is taking aim at one of 
the final remaining Trump policies, title 42, which allows law 
enforcement to expel illegal aliens who pose a health risk.
  The Department of Homeland Security predicts that as many as 12,000 
to

[[Page H4388]]

18,000 illegal aliens will cross our southern border per day if title 
42 is lifted--18,000 illegal aliens in 1 day. In 3 days, that would be 
greater than the population of Pennsylvania's capital city, 
Harrisburg--in less than 3 days. In a little more than a day, it would 
be greater than the population of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the 
largest city in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District.
  If President Biden removes title 42, it goes beyond bad judgment. It 
is reckless, and it will turn the crisis into chaos at our southern 
border.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Keller for that. 
These words are not hyperbole. This is what the experts are saying. 
Customs and Border Patrol agents, those officials who are there every 
day watching this chaos, this calamity that has developed, they are the 
ones that are giving us these numbers. They project 18,000 illegals a 
day. It is just hard to wrap your mind around that.

                              {time}  2000

  Mr. KELLER. That is the executive branch, homeland security.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Absolutely. And these are the results of 
policy choices, and they could easily be reversed if the White House 
would wake up and do something.
  So I thank the gentleman for bringing that to our attention tonight.
  Mr. Speaker, you have heard Members from across the country--north, 
south, east, and west--who have expressed their outrage and their 
concern with all of the terrible policy choices that are leading to 
absurd results for our country. These are very dangerous times. There 
is no leadership in the White House. There is no leadership in the 
administration. There is no leadership from the Democratic majority in 
this House or in the split Senate down the Hall. We can turn these 
things around, and we can stop these crises if we make different 
decisions, but they will not do it.
  Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for my colleagues who have shown up 
tonight to articulate this for the American people. We can't say it 
often enough or loudly enough.
  There is going to be a sea change in November, and we pray that we 
can hold on and keep this Republic until then.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________