Lubbock Times

This week, the House of Representatives will consider three appropriations bills: the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, and the Department of Defense Appropriations Act. Chairman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) introduced several amendments aimed at preventing the Biden administration from using these funding bills to advance its agenda and counter President Biden’s border policies.

“Today, our nation’s most imminent threat is self-inflicted – President Biden’s wide-open southern border,” said Arrington. “Biden’s refusal to secure the border and enforce the laws of the land has come at the expense of the safety and security of our nation’s citizens.”

Arrington's amendments include:

1. Defunding an executive order by President Biden that allegedly uses taxpayer dollars to boost voter registration in blue areas of swing states. This executive order was issued on March 7, 2021.

2. Compelling the Secretary of Homeland Security to implement recommendations from DHS’s Office of Inspector General. These recommendations focus on improving screening and vetting asylum seekers, detaining inadmissible travelers, preventing the release of high-risk individuals, among other measures.

3. Terminating federal funding for NGOs involved in human trafficking and illegal immigration smuggling. Earlier this year, Texas sued an NGO for allegedly housing 300 migrants who were avoiding detection by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents.

4. Prohibiting NGOs from using FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program to provide services to illegal immigrants. Reports indicated that over $332 million from this program was used for services such as housing and transportation for illegal immigrants.

5. Defunding the Office of the Secretary of State until sanctions are implemented against International Criminal Court officials following their recommendation to issue an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month.

6. Prohibiting DHS from contracting with other federal agencies to provide services for illegal immigrants. A report detailed that DHS had contracted with the Department of Veteran Affairs to provide medical care for illegal immigrants despite a backlog affecting veterans' cases.