Providing for Consideration of H.R. Department of Defense Appropriations Act, Providing for Consideration of H.R. Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, Providing for Consideration of H.R. Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, and Providing for Consideration of H.R. Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. NORMAN. Madam Speaker, it is interesting here, my colleagues on the other side saying, shutdown, shutdown, shutdown; that is all you hear.

What about the shutdown that occurred for the COVID virus for over a year and a half? What about the shutdown that kept children out of school for over a year and a half?

It is outrageous that here we are on this floor trying to pass legislation to cut spending to put money back in the pockets of the taxpayers.

Folks, we are in an economic crisis. We are in a national security crisis. The fact is my colleagues are continually against a shutdown, which is never good, but in this case, we are fighting for the American people.

As Representative Roy mentioned with Homeland Security, go to the border. Go to the border and see what is happening there. See the rape trees. See the people coming across this border that now number in excess of the 5.2 million from my State of South Carolina.

Think about the medical crisis. We don't know what they are coming with. Think about the hundreds of programs that they are automatically going to be enrolled in.

Think about the Social Security numbers and the driver's licenses that are given to illegals that occurred in New York City. Think about the flights paid for by taxpayers' money to go all over this country illegally.

It is un-American, it is an invasion, and my good friends on the other side of the aisle will pay a price as they are being booed in different parts of the country because of leaving this border open, leaving this country unsecure. We have never faced this kind of crisis that we face right now just on that issue alone.

On the spending issue, I would like for those listening today to realize it boils back to our $32 trillion, $20,000 per second it is costing the taxpayers.

They don't want to cut anything. They want to go on with a bloated Federal Government and continue spending as we have done before. We are saying no.

I am proud of my colleagues. We will sit up here and fight if it takes all night long. It is a sad day that we are arguing over things that should be common sense. It is un-American what they are trying to do.

Now, the four appropriations bills, the Homeland Security bill, tying H.R. 2 to it, is exactly the right thing. My good friends on the other side of the aisle talk about reduced funding. They are not enforcing anything.

Mayorkas is not enforcing anything. Why pay him? All this does is say: Unless you enforce the border and include it, we are not paying Mayorkas a dime for homeland security.

Look at the Department of Defense. Look at the cuts, yet the increases overall which we have given our Department of Defense. The FDA, we have made some legitimate cuts on the FDA on some things that should have been.

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