[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 88 (Wednesday, May 24, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H2587-H2588]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       CLOSE THE SOUTHERN BORDER

  (Mr. GROTHMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, we received a briefing 
as to what was going on in the Russia-Ukraine war, and we heard of the 
callousness with which President Putin treats his own troops.
  Indeed, 20,000 Russian troops recently died to take a city that was 
apparently of no important significance.
  I thought, how could a President be so callous knowing that when one 
of these troops died, his parents, his siblings, and perhaps his 
children are left behind?
  Then it occurred to me that here in the United States of America, we 
had 109,000 people die of illegal drugs last year, most of it fentanyl, 
and our President seems to be willing to do almost nothing.
  Mr. Speaker, since almost all the drugs are coming across the 
southern border, with 109,000 people dying every year, wouldn't you 
figure it is a priority to close the border? No.

[[Page H2588]]

  Wouldn't you think it is a priority to arrest or put in prison those 
people who are selling these drugs? No.
  The major concern is to leave the border open and not put any more 
people in prison.
  By the way, as far as the ability to prevent people from selling the 
drugs and putting them in prison, how many people died of fentanyl last 
year in China? None. Why? Because the minute they try to sell it, they 
would be in prison.
  In any event, I call upon President Biden to finally address the 
fentanyl crisis.

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