[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 209 (Tuesday, December 19, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6036-S6037]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Supplemental Funding

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, President Zelenskyy visited Washington, DC, 
last week to ask for the United States' continued support for Ukraine 
as it defends itself against Russia.
  As someone who strongly believes that it is in our national security 
interest to aid Ukraine as well as our allies Israel and Taiwan, I am 
disappointed that we have not already passed the aid Ukraine needs. But 
let's be very clear: The reason the Senate has not already passed a 
national security supplemental is that Democrats, so far, have chosen 
to prioritize an open border over aid for our allies.
  Democrats have known for months that border security was going to be 
a part of the national security supplemental. After all, the President 
himself requested border funding in his supplemental request. 
Republicans have had a border security proposal on the table literally 
since the beginning of November, but Democrats wasted weeks, refusing 
to engage in substantive negotiations even though they were well aware 
that border security was going to be a requirement for getting this 
supplemental through both Houses of Congress. Now the supplemental will 
be pushed to January because Democrats have run out the clock to the 
point where getting a substantive border security deal passed before 
Christmas is impossible.
  Last week, President Biden said that failing to pass the national 
security supplemental before the holidays would be a Christmas gift to 
Putin. Well, I would like to point out, once again, that the only 
reason we haven't passed the national security supplemental already is 
because of the Democrats and President Biden. Only one of the two 
parties has been dragging its feet on negotiations, and it has not been 
the Republicans. A lot of us Republicans are eager to get Ukraine the 
aid that it needs, but we cannot--and I say we cannot--tend to our 
national security interests abroad while ignoring the national security 
crisis right here on our doorstep.
  President Biden wants to talk about a gift to Putin? Well, let's talk 
about the gift the President has been giving to terrorists and 
criminals and cartels for 3 years now with the chaos we have at our 
southern border. We have had three successive, record-breaking years of 
illegal immigration at our southern border on President Biden's watch; 
and the President is no closer to getting this crisis under control 
than when it first started.
  During October, the latest month for which we have data, U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection encountered 240,988 migrants at our southern 
border, which is the highest October number ever recorded. I might add 
that among those numbers in October, there were almost 1,600 convicted 
criminals, 50 gang members, 90 people who have warrants out for their 
arrests, and 12 people on the Terrorist Watchlist. That was just in

[[Page S6037]]

the month of October. The past 24 hours alone saw a record-breaking 
12,000-plus migrant encounters at the southern border and, I would say, 
the highest--highest--daily total ever recorded. And those numbers 
don't count the ``got-aways,'' the individuals the Border Patrol saw 
but was unable to apprehend.
  Let's be very clear: While many of these individuals may simply have 
headed to the United States in search of a better life, there is no 
question that there are dangerous individuals who are trying to make 
their way into our country.
  During fiscal year 2023, the Border Patrol arrested 169 individuals 
on the Terrorist Watchlist at the southern border--169. That was a 
substantial increase over fiscal year 2022, which was itself a 
substantial increase over fiscal year 2021. Needless to say, that is 
not a good trajectory. Again, these numbers only refer to individuals 
the Border Patrol has actually apprehended. There were 670,000 known 
``got-aways'' during fiscal year 2023.
  How many of them were terrorists, criminals, or other dangerous 
individuals?
  Well, the answer is, we really don't know. We really don't know.
  One thing we do know is that the chaotic southern border and the 
chaos that we have experienced there cannot continue. Our country 
cannot be secure while we have 10,000 people a day pouring across our 
southern border and hundreds of thousands of unknown individuals taking 
up residence in our country. Think about it. With the record that we 
had yesterday--as I mentioned, well over 12,000, which is the single 
highest--single highest--day that we have ever had on record in terms 
of people being apprehended illegally at the southern border, if you 
analyze that number, you are talking about more than 4.5 million people 
a year--4.5 million a year. That is way more people than the majority 
of the States in this country, in the entire United States of America.

  The Federal Government is charged with the responsibility for our 
Nation's security, and we owe the American people nothing less than a 
secure border. So while I believe it is essential that we get aid to 
our allies, any supplemental must include measures to address our 
national security here at home at the border as well as our national 
security interests abroad.
  I want to thank Senator Lankford for his patience and tenacity in 
working to bring Democrats to the table. After weeks of Democrat 
intransigence, it is encouraging that the White House is finally--and I 
say ``finally'' because, as I said, we had a proposal on the table at 
the beginning of November, and the White House finally engaged last 
Tuesday--finally has stepped up to take on a role in the negotiations. 
It is just too bad that they didn't do it weeks ago.
  But I hope that the President and Democrats understand that the only 
acceptable outcome of negotiations is a solution that meets the 
challenge at our southern border. Cosmetic measures and superficial 
tweaks are not going to cut it. So the ball is in the Democrats' court.
  We need to get aid to allies like Ukraine, but we cannot pass 
legislation to do that without addressing the situation at our southern 
border. I would like to think that Democrats would see the necessity of 
addressing our border crisis irrespective of what is needed to get this 
bill through Congress, but at the very least, I hope that Democrats' 
concern for our national security interests abroad will lead them to 
finally--and again I say ``finally''--get serious about working with 
Republicans to address the national security crisis here at home.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New York.
  Mrs. GILLIBRAND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
following Senators be permitted to speak prior to the scheduled recess 
for 5 minutes: Senator Murray for 5 minutes, Senator Collins for 5 
minutes, and me for 5 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.