[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 6 (Thursday, January 11, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H62]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING NASSAU COUNTY COUNCIL ON AGING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Bean) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BEAN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is trivia time.
  What year was it, ``Sanford and Son'' and ``All in the Family'' were 
the most popular shows on television; the top songs on the radio were 
``The Way We Were'' and ``The Loco-Motion;'' the top movie in America 
that year was ``Blazing Saddles;'' and Gerald Ford was our brand-new 
President?
  What year was it?
  It was 1974, 50 years ago.
  It was that same year a group of forward-looking and caring citizens 
in Nassau County, Florida, who met, including George Crady, Elsie 
Harper, Edgar Lindsay, and Buddy Jacobs fresh out of law school. They 
met to establish the Nassau County Council on Aging.
  Today, I rise to honor Nassau County Council on Aging for turning 50 
years old and for 50 years of service to Nassau's wise and seasoned 
residents. I think we can all agree they don't look a day over 29.
  From its inception, the council has selflessly met the needs of our 
senior citizens, providing meal delivery, household chores, and 
transportation needs in its early days.
  Then it launched its core mission of remaining steadfast to enhance 
the lives of older adults with compassionate care. Today, they are led 
by a young and dynamic CEO, Janice Ancrum. Under her leadership, the 
council has thrived. It has a brand-new headquarters, and it is poised 
for future greatness.
  Soon, there will be a fancy black-tie gala in Nassau County to 
celebrate--hopefully, there will be cake--the selfless thousands of 
volunteers who have participated to serve the tens of thousands of 
residents who have taken advantage of the Nassau Council on Aging's 
services.
  Today, Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating 
this signature milestone for the Nassau Council on Aging. I thank 
everybody who has been involved. The future of Nassau County citizens 
is, indeed, bright.

                              {time}  1100


           President Biden's Policies Causing Chaos at Border

  Mr. BEAN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, can you guess how many times 
President Biden visited the border in 2023 compared to how many days he 
went on vacation? One versus 138. Maybe if President Biden spent more 
time at the border, he would understand the chaos his policies have 
created.
  This is my first term in Congress, and I just returned from my second 
visit to the border. I went with Speaker Johnson and a record number of 
other Members to see firsthand just what is going on. What I saw was 
shocking.
  Illegal immigrants simply walk across what was formerly known as our 
border. They are walking across assisted by Border Patrol and then 
chauffeured to the processing center where they have been given free 
bus and airline tickets to cities all across America.
  Mr. Speaker, our porous border is open. It is an open wound being 
taken advantage of by bad actors, criminals, traffickers, cartels, and 
even terrorists from around the world. The massive caravans will not 
stop until we secure our border. No, taxpayer funding shouldn't be 
going forward to continue our same old policies of processing more 
immigrants around our Nation.
  This administration can deflect, deny, and detract, but President 
Biden cannot escape the fact there is an invasion going on at our 
southern border, the root cause of which is his senseless and reckless 
open border policies.
  In typical fashion, President Biden has attempted to shift the blame 
for the influx of illegal immigration to one of his favorite political 
targets--House Republicans. Mr. Speaker, here is the truth: It was 
President Biden who ended the remain in Mexico policy. It was President 
Biden who ended title 42. It was President Biden who stopped the 
construction of the border wall. It was President Biden who instructed 
Border Patrol to cut the razor wire to allow more to come in.
  Furthermore, as a result of his policies, just recently in New York 
City, students--can you believe this?--are being kicked out of a school 
in order to house illegal immigrants who have willingly broken our 
laws, and our taxpayer dollars are funding every bit of it.
  Our southern border remains open for one reason and one reason alone: 
because President Biden refuses to shut it down.
  One question, Mr. Speaker: Why? Why is President Biden keeping our 
border open? Why?
  It is time for President Biden to stop turning his back on America 
and its citizens, the hardworking and taxpaying men and women who make 
this country great, and secure our border.

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