{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.budd.senate.gov/2023/12/06/budd-calls-on-biden-to-include-border-policy-in-national-security-bill/", "Budd Calls on Biden to Include Border Policy in National Security Bill", "2023-12-06", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "NC", "Ted Budd", "B001305", "www.budd.senate.gov", "budd", "https://www.budd.senate.gov/category/news/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2014 In a speech on the Senate floor today, Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) called on President Biden and Senate Democrats to include border security funding and policy changes in the proposed national security supplemental spending package.\n\nKey excerpts:\n\n\u201cAs we confront a dangerous global situation, we cannot ignore the fact that for America to be a strong nation, we must first be strong at home. Before we can help countries protect their borders thousands of miles away, we must first protect our own borders. The biggest threat to our national security right now is the wide open southern border.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis crisis must be dealt with, and dealt with now. That\u2019s why Senate Republicans have offered the Biden White House a deal: Include proven border policies in the House-passed H.R. 2 to the national security spending package, and you\u2019ll have our support \u2013 A clear pathway. But so far, this White House is more interested in playing politics and continuing to ignore the border crisis altogether.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe bottom line here is that in order to be a strong nation, we have to have strong borders. And right now, we don\u2019t have that. So I want to call on President Biden to change course, work with us so that we can solve this crisis together. We know what to do. All we need is a president who takes this seriously and fulfills his oath to protect and defend this country.\u201d\n\nWatch the full speech:\n\nRead the full speech:\n\nForces of evil and instability are on the march around the globe.\n\nIn the Middle East, Hamas massacred more than 1,200 Israelis and 33 Americans.\n\nIran \u2013 the world\u2019s leading state sponsor of terrorism \u2013 continues to finance, provide training for, and authorize attacks against U.S. forces across the region.\n\nIn Europe, Russia continues its brutality against Ukraine and is fomenting conflict in the Balkans, further threatening peace and stability in Europe.\n\nMeanwhile, China is rapidly expanding its military, threatening our allies and partners, and stealing billions in Americans\u2019 intellectual property.\n\nAll of this chaos is the result of weakness from the Biden administration.\n\nStarting in Afghanistan and continuing to this day, this administration has put American weakness on full display.\n\nAs we confront a dangerous global situation, we cannot ignore the fact that for America to be a strong nation, we must first be strong at home.\n\nBefore we can help countries protect their borders thousands of miles away, we must first protect our own borders.\n\nThe biggest threat to our national security right now is the wide open southern border.\n\nFor three years, the border has been in a state of crisis.\n\nWe have grown familiar with these numbers, but they remain historic and staggering.\n\nUnder President Biden, over eight million illegal immigrants have crossed the border.\n\nUnder President Biden, 279 individuals on the terrorist watch list have tried to illegally enter our nation.\n\nUnder President Biden, nearly 50,000 pounds of fentanyl has been seized at the border \u2013 That\u2019s enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States.\n\nGiven the fact that we\u2019re only able to interdict 5-10 percent of the illegal drugs that cross, our country is being overwhelmed with drugs that can kill with just a 2 milligram dose.\n\nUnder President Biden, there have been 1.8 million known got-aways \u2013 And that\u2019s not counting all of the unknown got-aways, including terrorists, human traffickers, and other bad actors.\n\nThis crisis must be dealt with, and dealt with now.\n\nThat\u2019s why Senate Republicans have offered the Biden White House a deal: Include proven border policies in the House-passed H.R. 2 to the national security spending package, and you\u2019ll have our support \u2013 A clear pathway.\n\nBut so far, this White House is more interested in playing politics and continuing to ignore the border crisis altogether.\n\nBut you know who can\u2019t ignore it? The border patrol agents who are under siege right now.\n\nIn the times I\u2019ve been down there, they have told me that, yes, we need a wall, we need border enforcement, we need funding.\n\nBut what we really need \u2013 in their words \u2013 is the policy changes that would empower them to stop the illegal flow of people, drugs, and crime.\n\nYou know who else can\u2019t ignore this crisis? The sheriffs from all 100 of North Carolina\u2019s counties.\n\nMany of them have come up to me saying the same thing: Every single county in North Carolina is now a border county because of Joe Biden\u2019s policies.\n\nThe bottom line here is that in order to be a strong nation, we have to have strong borders. And right now, we don\u2019t have that.\n\nSo I want to call on President Biden to change course, work with us so that we can solve this crisis together.\n\nWe know what to do. All we need is a president who takes this seriously and fulfills his oath to protect and defend this country.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:56:20Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.budd.senate.gov/2023/12/06/budd-calls-on-biden-to-include-border-policy-in-national-security-bill/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8027590811252594, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}