Markup of legislative proposals to comply with reconciliation instructions
2025-04-30
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Source: Congress.gov
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U
Unknown (SPEAKER_27)
Committee will come to order. Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare recess at any time. Pursuant to Committee Rule 2 and House Rule 11, Clause 2, the chair may postpone further proceedings today on the question of approving any measure or matter or adopting an amendment for which a recorded vote is ordered. I now recognize the gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. Harris, to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you gentlemen from North Carolina pursuant to notice I call up the committee print providing for reconciliation pursuant to house concurrent resolution 14 the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2025 for purposes of markup and move that the committee transmit the recommendations of this committee and all appropriate accompanying materials, including minority, additional supplemental, or dissenting views to the committee on the budget in order to comply with the reconciliation directive included in section 2001 of the concurrent resolution of the budget for fiscal year 2025, HCONRES 14, and consistent with section 310 of the congressional budget and Empowerment Control Act of 1974.
And I think that was one sentence. The clerk will report the committee print. Without objection, the committee print will be considered as read and open for amendment at any point. The chair now recognizes himself for an opening statement. The difference between President Trump and President Biden is night and day. In just four years, the Biden-Harris administration allowed 8 million Illegal aliens into the United States. Of that 8 million, the Biden-Harris administration releases at least 6 million illegal aliens into American communities, while nearly 2 million evaded GOP apprehension or CBP apprehension and entered as gotaways. These 8 million include at least 99 aliens on the terrorist watch list. 99 potential terrorists were released into our neighborhoods and communities. 8 million illegal aliens, that's like a city the size of New York City. This unprecedented surge of illegal immigration has resulted in millions of otherwise removable aliens being allowed to remain in the United States. And understand this, this was done deliberately, intentionally starting on day one of the previous administration. Day one, the Biden administration said, we will no longer have people wait in Mexico, remain in Mexico while we evaluate their claim. We will no longer build the wall. And when you get here, you will not be detained. You will be released. And those three intentional deliberate decisions are what led to the eighth of 10 million entering our country. The American people gave President Trump and House Republicans a mandate to restore immigration integrity, security, and enforcement. And President Trump is carrying out what he told us he was going to do. But resources are needed to address the chaos caused by the Biden-Harris administration's open border policies. Today, we act to improve or to provide the administration with the resources it needs pursuant to existing authorities, to ensure secure borders and safe American communities. The committee's reconciliation title provides a total of $81 billion in funding to the department's Homeland Security, Justice, Health and Human Services, and others.
For example, the legislation provides $45 billion to ensure US Immigration and Customs Enforcements can detain an average daily population of at least 100,000 aliens. The bill provides $8 billion to fund additional ICE personnel including 10,000 enforcement and removal officers, 1,000 Homeland Security Investigations agents, 750 support personnel, all to carry out immigration enforcement. The committee's reconciliation bill provides $14.4 billion to ICE to support the transportation and removal of at least 1 million aliens annually for the next four years. The text also provides $858 million for hiring and retention bonuses to the good men and women officers in ICE and agents and attorneys who implement and help secure our border. Before most aliens can be removed, they must go through an immigration court proceedings. So the committee text not only provides 1.32 billion to ICE for additional trial attorneys, who represent the government and immigration courts, but also $1.25 billion to the Department of Justice to hire 200 immigration judge teams, as well as necessary support staff and courtroom resources. Also included in the committee bill is $500 million for the Department of Justice to combat drug trafficking, including fentanyl and other illegal drug use. In addition to funding immigration enforcement, the committee's reconciliation text also raises more than $77 billion through fees. The existing fees in the immigration system have not been updated, in some cases for decades. And in many cases, fees have never been applied at all. This system has left these agencies with funding shortfalls paid for by American taxpayers. The fees included in this bill will allow agencies to achieve cost recovery and limit their reliance on taxpayer funding. They will also allow us to make the necessary investments in immigration enforcement in a fiscally responsible manner. For example, the reconciliation bill requires aliens who file an asylum application to pay a fee of not less than $1,000.
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