(RightWing.org) – A frustrated Republican lawmaker has suggested drastic action to solve the security crisis at our southern border. Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) boiled over last week and told a radio host that Congress should defund the Department of Homeland Security until it fixes the problem. It was an off-the-cuff comment — but it comes at a tense time for the Biden administration.
Roy Loses His Cool
On August 16, Roy, a hawkish Conservative who’s appalled at the Biden administration’s immigration policy and high spending, gave an interview on KSEV radio. As they discussed the situation at the border, where high levels of illegal immigration continue to overwhelm weak security, he slammed Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as a “smirking son of a b**ch.” He also demanded that Congress cut off any more funding for his department until the immigration crisis has been resolved. He went on to call for Mayorkas to be impeached and said Congressional Republicans need to use “the power of the purse” to rein in the Biden administration.
The Biden administration has focused its border security efforts on sanctioning and arresting members of the Mexican drug cartels, who now control much of the human trafficking trade as well as narcotics smuggling. The problem is it isn’t doing much to reduce the number of people crossing into the US. In fact, after a dip in June, the flow of migrants is increasing again. Roy wants it to stop, and he’s been criticizing Mayorkas for months; in July, he threatened to “damn well grind this place to a halt” until the administration takes the problem seriously.
GOP Tension Over Funding
Defunding the DHS is certainly a radical suggestion, but it comes at a moment when there’s a growing debate among conservative legislators about wider government funding. The US is facing a government shutdown unless Congress passes 2024 funding legislation by the end of September. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has just proposed a short-term package that would extend current spending plans and buy time for Congress to agree on a longer-term solution, but it hasn’t gone down well with his fellow Republicans.
Extending current spending levels is the last thing many Republican lawmakers want to do. The levels were set last year before the Democrats lost control of the House, and fiscal Conservatives believe they’re too high. Now their goal is to force the Biden administration to cut spending back to pre-2020 levels, and Chip Roy is one of the most vocal supporters of that approach. He’s already vowed to vote against the “Continuing Resolution” McCarthy wants — so he might actually be able to carry out his threat of defunding Mayorkas.
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