[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 6 (Thursday, January 11, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H57]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
                  BORDER CRISIS REACHED BOILING POINT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, 3,400 students at 
James Madison High School in Brooklyn, New York, were unable to attend 
their classes in person. Instead of learning in their classrooms, being 
with their fellow students, and eating lunch in the cafeteria, these 
students were forced from their own school in order to make room for 
2,000 illegal immigrants who recently came to New York City.
  This crisis has reached a boiling point, and action must be taken to 
address the impact that it is having on our communities. We know the 
historic learning loss that occurred with school lockdowns during 
COVID. Now, instead of using the proven and effective remain in Mexico 
policy, President Biden has thrown open our doors to a record number of 
illegal immigrants in the past year.
  It is time to secure our border. It is time to stop making American 
families pay the price for President Biden's weak leadership and failed 
policies. It is time for President Biden to join us and demand that the 
Senate pass the Secure the Border Act and finally address this 
catastrophe impacting American families because of the porous southern 
border.


                        Address Medicare Pay Cut

  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, in rural communities like 
those in south central and southwestern Pennsylvania, millions of 
patients rely on Medicare to see their doctors, fill their 
prescriptions, and live healthy lives.
  Now, if Congress fails to act, those patients will be in jeopardy. 
Medicare pay cuts, when compiled with a 4.6 percent medical inflation, 
will ultimately result in higher costs for Medicare beneficiaries.
  When I first came to Congress, I pledged to support Medicare and 
pledged to support the patients who rely on those Medicare benefits. 
These cuts will make it impossible for rural providers to keep their 
doors open. These cuts will mean longer travel and wait times for 
patients to see family doctors, to see surgeons, and to see 
specialists.
  Right now, thousands of Medicare patients are in need of a primary 
care physician. These Medicare cuts will drive further consolidation 
and force patients into higher cost settings of care that will both 
increase their wait times and increase their out-of-pocket expenses.
  Congress must step in and address these cuts before they do 
irreversible damage to our healthcare system. America and our patients 
are relying on us to make the right choices.

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