U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (KS-01) addressed the U.S. House of Representatives, criticizing the Biden Administration and Senate Democrats for their handling of the crisis at the southern border. This comes on the one-year anniversary of the House’s vote on the Secure the Border Act, a bill that Rep. Mann supported and which passed with a 219-213 vote in the House. The legislation has yet to be considered by the U.S. Senate.
In his address, Rep. Mann drew attention to an escalation in the crisis over the past year, noting that U.S. Custom and Border Protection (CBP) agents have encountered over 33,000 individuals with criminal backgrounds attempting to cross the border and have seized enough fentanyl to potentially harm 3.8 billion people. He stressed that these figures pose a risk to Kansans in Big First and urged Senate Democrats and the Biden Administration to collaborate with House Republicans to secure the border.
The transcript of his speech reads: “Mr. Speaker., three hundred seventy days ago, this body passed the Secure the Border Act of 2023… Since House Republicans passed H.R. 2, there have been more than 2.1 million encounters with illegal immigrants trying to enter… Under President Biden, every state is a border state… Rather than working with House Republicans to fix the President’s crisis, Senate Democrats have decided to let H.R. 2 just sit in the legislative graveyard…”
Rep. Mann concluded his remarks by stating that Americans deserve better and it’s time for President Biden to work with House Republicans towards securing the border.
