Chairman Cole Hearing Remarks on H.R. 4365, H.R. 4367, H.R. 4368, and H.R. 4665
As prepared for delivery:
Good afternoon. I want to thank all of our members for being here on short notice.
The Committee has previously met and taken testimony on H.R. 4365, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2024, and H.R. 4368, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2024.
Today, we are building on those actions, with testimony on two additional appropriations bills. The first I will discuss is H.R. 4367, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2024. No one in this room can deny the humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection have declared that well over two million illegal migrants have been apprehended at, or near, our southern border just this year. Over 140,000 have been apprehended in September so far. That’s more people than the entire city of Norman, Oklahoma trying to cross into the United States – and the month isn’t over yet.
The Biden Administration has lost operational control of the border. It’s undeniable and a direct result of failed policies. Their open border agenda has wreaked havoc, motivating more and more migrants to come. Our security is imperiled as criminals, terrorists, human traffickers, and other nefarious individuals are empowered and taking advantage. And our communities are not only overrun, but they are also watching American lives stolen from poisons—like fentanyl—streaming in through porous boundaries.
House Republicans have committed to ending President Biden’s open borders policies and securing our nation. That is why earlier this year we passed H.R. 2, our comprehensive border security and immigration reform bill. And the Committee on Appropriations made those same objectives a priority as it assembled H.R. 4367.
The bill provides $91.5 billion in total discretionary appropriations, including $62.8 billion within the bill’s allocation, $5.8 billion in discretionary appropriations offset by fee collections, and $20.2 billion as an allocation adjustment for major disaster response and recovery activities. This funding level is $2.2 billion, or 2.3% above the fiscal year 2023 enacted level.
It includes $2.1 billion for construction of physical barriers on the southern border and provides nearly $500 million for 22,000 Border Patrol agents, the highest level ever funded. It forces Secretary Mayorkas to adhere to the law and resume construction of physical barriers immediately. And it also defunds the Biden Administration’s social policy efforts because funds should be targeted at deterring and delivering an effective system—not political or cultural wish lists. This is a strong bill, and I look forward to considering it further on the floor.
We will also take testimony on H.R. 4665, the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2024. This bill provides $52.5 billion for the Department of State and foreign operations, a full $16.4 billion below the President’s budget request, and $7.2 billion below the fiscal year 2023 enacted level. This number even falls $1.7 billion below the fiscal year 2019 enacted level.
H.R. 4665 prioritizes funds where they are needed most. It includes full support for key allies in the Middle East like Israel, Egypt, and Jordan. It provides $4.4 billion for national security interests in the Indo-Pacific region, funding which is critical to countering Communist China’s malign influence. It maintains longstanding pro-life protections, supports the expanded Mexico City Policy, and prohibits funding to the United Nations Population Fund and other related programs that support abortions. It also devotes investments to countering the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs in the Western Hemisphere and supports freedom and democracy by countering malign communist influence.
H.R. 4665 is a strong, fiscally responsible bill, one that represents the best values of the House of Representatives. I am pleased we are moving forward on this measure today and look forward to considering it on the floor.
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