[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 47 (Tuesday, March 14, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S763-S764]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           Government Funding

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, over the years, I have heard President 
Biden share a favorite expression of his father's. He said his dad 
would tell you:

       Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget and I'll 
     tell you what you value.

  Well, there is a lot of wisdom in that statement. A person's budget 
shows what they truly value, whether that is supporting those who are 
less fortunate, saving for the future, or achieving a certain type of 
lifestyle. The same is true for the Federal Government. It is easy for 
leaders to say they value a strong military or fiscal responsibility, 
but a budget shows whether they really mean it.
  Last week, of course, President Biden released his budget for the 
next fiscal year, which gave us an unvarnished view of what he truly 
values. In countless ways, it stands in stark contrast to what he has 
told the American people.
  The President spoke about the need to rein in out-of-control 
spending, but he proposed more than $2 trillion in new spending.
  Given the growing threats from China and Russia, he says he cares 
about a strong national defense, but he proposed a mere 3.2-percent 
increase in defense spending--far below the level of inflation. So it 
actually is a cut.
  He has spoken about the importance of growing our economy, but he 
proposed additional job-killing tax hikes on Main Street businesses and 
other job creators.
  He says he is concerned about energy costs but proposed $37 billion 
in new energy taxes--taxes that will be paid ultimately by the consumer 
in increased costs.
  Despite saying he cares about the border, President Biden made it 
absolutely clear he isn't serious about addressing the crisis at our 
southern border. For 2 years, law enforcement and border communities 
have struggled to keep up with the overwhelming number of migrants who 
are crossing every day. During President Biden's first 2 years in 
office, Customs and Border Protection encountered 4.7 million--4.7 
million--migrants at the southern border. That is astonishing, a 
breathtaking figure.
  Well, there is a clear need, an obvious need to strengthen our border 
security, and the President's budget request includes $535 million for 
border security technology at and between the ports of entry. At ports, 
this could include advanced equipment to efficiently scan cargo and 
passenger vehicles.
  Mexico is our second largest trading partner, and that binational 
trade is important to both of our economies. But this same technology 
could be key to stopping illicit drugs, weapons, and currency from 
coming across the border.
  Between the ports of entry, this funding could go toward sensors, 
cameras, and other surveillance tools that allow Border Patrol agents 
to monitor unpatrolled portions of the border and to spring into action 
when necessary.

  Given the ongoing migration crisis and fentanyl epidemic which is 
killing 70,000 Americans every year, there could not be a more 
important time to invest in border security. While the President's 
request for $535 million may sound like a lot of money--and it is a lot 
of money--when you compare it to other line items in his budget, it 
starts to look a whole lot smaller. For example, the White House wants 
to spend $1 billion trying to address the ``root causes'' of migration 
in Central America and Haiti. That is nearly double the amount he wants 
to spend on border security technology.
  Over the last few years, we have seen failed attempts to alleviate 
what are called the push factors--violence and poverty--that cause 
people to leave their home countries and come to the United States. But 
don't forget that these migrants are not just coming from Central 
America and Haiti; they are literally coming from all over the world. 
Best case scenario, it would take years, if ever, before these efforts 
would translate to even 1 inch of progress at the border.
  I have said before what I learned at the Yuma Border Patrol Sector in 
southwestern Arizona when the Border Patrol chief said that in this 
sector alone, a sleepy little agricultural community, we have people 
coming across the border from 176 countries, speaking 200 languages. 
This is a global phenomenon not just isolated to Central America and 
Haiti.
  Well, worst case scenario, the administration flushes $1 billion down 
the drain while the border remains in a state of crisis.
  The White House wants to spend even more money on the Department of 
Homeland Security's climate resilience program--climate resilience. A 
whopping $4 billion is what they want for that. That is more than seven 
times higher than what the President has proposed for border security 
technology. Now, the mission of the Department of Homeland Security 
isn't to fight climate change; it is to safeguard the American people. 
It cannot achieve that mission with the meager budget proposed by 
President Biden and the lack of priorities.
  You may think that climate resilience is an important matter, but it 
certainly doesn't rise to the level of the crisis we are experiencing 
today on the border, with an overwhelming number of migrants and 
illegal drugs that killed 108,000 Americans last year alone.

[[Page S764]]

  Of course, the funding level requested for technology is only part of 
the problem. The question isn't just how much do you want to spend but 
what do you need to spend it on?
  As I mentioned, this is one pot of funding that would support two 
purposes: security at the border and security between the ports of 
entry. Both of those functions are essential to our security and our 
economy, but the White House didn't delineate how it would split that 
funding. Would it be divided 50-50? Would it be distributed based on 
need? How would the administration ensure that it was closing the 
highest priority security gaps first?
  We have a responsibility to taxpayers to ensure that every dollar is 
maximized and serves the greatest purpose possible. A few years ago, 
Senator Sinema, the Senator from Arizona, and I introduced something 
called the Southwest Border Security Technology Improvement Act to help 
understand the best way to do that.
  It required the administration to assess technology needs at the 
border and issue a report within a year. Our bill was signed into law 
at the end of 2020, and the deadline for that final report was December 
27, 2021. Well, 15 months has passed, and we still have no report. I 
have repeatedly asked for updates from the administration but received 
zero response.
  In short, the administration has failed to provide an assessment that 
is necessary for Congress to determine what the technology gaps are at 
the border and what the priority should be. Instead, they just ask 
Congress for a $535 million blank check. They have offered zero 
assurance that they plan to use those funds to increase operational 
control over the border. They haven't even assured us they know what 
those needs are. Once again, the administration isn't trying to solve 
the problem--just to create an illusion of effort.
  But technology funding isn't the only problem with the President's 
budget; it also falls short when it comes to personnel.
  I have been to the southern border more times than I can count--but I 
do count 10 times--since President Biden took office, and I have spoken 
with every law enforcement officer and local elected official, 
nonprofit, and small business owner I could find. When I ask them what 
is needed the most to combat this crisis, there is a recurring answer: 
We need more boots on the ground. We desperately need more Border 
Patrol agents on the frontline.
  The administration wants to hire an additional 350 Border Patrol 
agents, which would be a great start, but the White House isn't taking 
any action to address underlying barriers to hiring those agents.
  For years, the Agency struggled to meet its staffing goals, and one 
of the biggest obstacles is the polygraph requirement. Roughly half of 
new applicants fail the polygraph, which one officer described as 
``high-tech voodoo.'' Applicants have shared stories of aggressive and 
condescending examiners. They talk about being stereotyped based on 
their background and traveling to other States in hopes of having a 
different experience.
  Still, failing a polygraph or receiving an ``inconclusive'' result 
disqualifies a potential agent. So it wouldn't matter if the White 
House called for 10,000 new Border Patrol agents in its budget; the 
Agency would not be able to fill those spots until the administration 
fixes the broken application process, and we have seen no indication of 
their plans to do so.
  The White House is also calling for 460 processing assistants at 
Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 
These would be the men and women who would help process the migrants. 
Based on my conversations with folks at the border, I can tell you 
these additions are desperately needed, but that is only one piece of 
the solution.
  A huge part of the solution lies in deterrence. If people with 
frivolous asylum claims see they will quickly be removed from the 
United States, they aren't likely to attempt the journey to our border 
in the first place. That is why we just can't staff up on processing 
coordinators; we need more personnel to actually enforce the law and 
deliver consequences to those who break it.
  The Biden administration has refused to do so time and time again, 
and the Biden budget only makes insignificant changes to staffing for 
Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations, as well as 
Fugitive Operations team members. These are the dedicated men and women 
who do the difficult but important job of removing people who have no 
legal right to enter the country. But right now, the system is so 
overwhelmed with migrants who will not be ultimately granted asylum. So 
what happens when their claim is denied? It is an important question to 
ask because I can assure you, ICE does not have the sufficient manpower 
to enforce the law given the scale of this crisis.
  In short, the White House has proposed adding more personnel to 
process migrants and then release them, but it doesn't want to hire 
more people who will actually remove people who break our laws. Based 
on his own assessment strategy, President Biden does not value border 
security because his budget certainly does not reflect it. His budget 
is not a serious proposal to gain operational control of the border. It 
is more talk with no action.
  Our country is experiencing an absolutely unprecedented migration 
crisis. The southern border has become an open highway instead of a 
secured checkpoint. The administration is essentially waving everyone 
through--from migrants with frivolous asylum claims to the drug runners 
who are carrying fentanyl that kills our fellow Americans. Based on 
President Biden's budget, he appears content for it to stay that way.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Markey). The Senator from Massachusetts.