Press Releases
Dr. Bucshon Calls out Democrats’ Border Hypocrisy
Washington,
October 5, 2023
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Larry Bucshon, M.D. (R-IN-08) released the statement below after U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas cited an immediate need to waive regulations and build a border wall in South Texas: “Since President Biden’s first day in office, his administration has advocated for radical open-border policies that have plunged our southern border into disarray, resulting in the worst border crisis in American history,” said Dr. Bucshon. “In 2020, President Biden promised that there would not be another foot of wall constructed in his administration, his Press Secretary claimed a wall doesn’t work and that it is an ineffective policy, and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told Congress under oath that he stood by the decision to end the border wall. The administration even went as far as planning to dispose of approximately $260 million in border wall construction materials. Now, with nearly 10,000 illegal crossings a day, fentanyl flooding American streets, and major cities throughout the nation declaring a state of emergency, the Biden administration has claimed an acute and immediate need to build a wall on the southern border in Texas. Washington Democrats have gone back and forth on this issue in accordance with political convenience; they supported the Secure Fence Act in 2006 to build a 700-mile border wall, vehemently rejected the Trump administration’s effort to construct a wall, and now, with most Americans disapproving of the administration’s handling of immigration, support a border wall. Their inability to consistently realize we must secure our southern border has wasted valuable time and put American lives in danger.”
Dr. Bucshon has continually supported common-sense policies that strengthen our border and national security. He has visited the southern border, spoken on the House floor, and met with key stakeholders in order to give law enforcement the tools needed to keep our communities safe and reform our failing immigration system. In May 2023, Dr. Bucshon voted to pass H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, as a meaningful first step to securing our southern border and addressing the national security and humanitarian crisis. H.R. 2 would, in part:
As a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Representative Bucshon has advocated to stop the flow of fentanyl into the United States via our southern border. He was a leading voice to pass the HALT Fentanyl Act (H.R. 467) ensuring law enforcement has the tools they need to keep extremely lethal and dangerous drugs off American streets. The bill also ensures practitioners can research fentanyl-related substances (FRS) to better understand its overall effects on people’s health. In a hearing this summer on the HALT Fentanyl Act, Representative Bucshon pressed a witness to admit that the southern border is the primary way illicit fentanyl is entering the United States. Illicit fentanyl poisonings are now the number one cause of death among adults 18-49 in the United States, more than cancer, heart disease, and car accidents. If Congress did not pass the HALT Fentanyl Act, and the emergency class-wide scheduling order expired:
In 2022, Dr. Bucshon co-sponsored the Early Migration Alert Program (EMAP) Act (H.R. 7462) which prohibited the Biden administration from terminating Title 42 until at least 60 days after the Covid-19 public health emergency has ended. He also co-sponsored the Transit Notification Act (H.R. 6592) to require the Biden administration to notify state and local officials before placing illegal immigrants in their jurisdiction. Below is a video and photographs from Dr. Bucshon’s visit to the southern border.
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