Jefferson Reporter

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 5, 2024 – United States Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) has released a statement expressing her concerns about the supplemental national security bill that is set to be debated in the Senate this week.

In her statement, Senator Britt highlights the delay in enacting the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills. She emphasizes that despite the bills being marked up and advanced by the end of July, none have been enacted in the past 193 days. This delay is significant considering that Fiscal Year 2024 began 127 days ago.

Senator Britt criticizes Senator Schumer for not allowing an FY24 appropriations bill to come to the floor in the past 96 days. She argues that this delay reflects a broken appropriations process that has resulted in a national debt of over $34.2 trillion, burdening future generations.

Regarding the supplemental funding bill, Senator Britt questions its validity, stating, "Considering a supplemental funding bill at this juncture is nonsensical because there is no base funding – FY24 appropriations are still up in the air." She argues that it is impossible to supplement something that does not exist.

Furthermore, Senator Britt expresses concerns about the bill's impact on President Biden's immigration policies. She claims that the bill would not stop the President's "radical mass migration agenda" or address crucial elements needed to address the ongoing border crisis, such as meaningful limits on Presidential abuse of parole, ending 'Catch and Release,' and proper execution of interior enforcement.

Senator Britt accuses the Biden Administration of causing and facilitating the border crisis, citing over 8.8 million illegal crossings and nearly 2 million unknown individuals. She criticizes the President's catch and release policy, resulting in a non-detained docket of over 6.2 million individuals, including 1.3 million with final orders of removal.

Highlighting the disparity between President Obama and President Biden's approach to illegal encounters and removals, Senator Britt argues that the Biden Administration's policies have endangered national security and imposed humanitarian and economic costs. She doubts that President Biden and the Secretary of Homeland Security will suddenly exercise newly created discretionary authorities to address the crisis.

Senator Britt also criticizes President Biden's funding proposals, noting his budget request for FY24, which included a 1% cut to the Department of Homeland Security. She claims that his supplemental requests in August and October further enabled the border crisis by allocating funds that act as a magnet for more mass migration.

In conclusion, Senator Britt asserts that the supplemental funding bill will not effectively block President Biden from executing his agenda regarding the border crisis and states that she will not support it.

Senator Britt's statement sheds light on her concerns about the delay in enacting the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills and the broken appropriations process. She also raises valid points about the potential ineffectiveness of the supplemental funding bill in addressing the border crisis and limiting the President's immigration policies.