Transcripts For CSPAN3 Homeland 20240703

[inaudible conversations] the committee will come to order. Without objection the committee may recess at any point. Good morning, secretary mayorkas, and thank you for joining the committees budget that you and President Biden put forth the department of Homeland Security. March 1 the department celebrated its 21st anniversary, and i want to thank the Public Servants throughout hhs that dedicate their lives to securing the homeland. This work is vital to the nations safety and security. Mr. Secretary, when you took the oath of office use for two, quote, support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic. As well as faithfully discharge the duties of the office, and of quote. The immigration and nationality act further makes clear that you have, quote, a duty to control and guard the borders, the boundaries and borders. During your three years as secretary you failed to fulfill this effort. You refuse to comply with the laws in congress and breached the public trust. You facilitated and encouraged record levels of ilLegal Immigration since your first day in office and weve witnessed the devastating results of the agenda. Ive shared this before but i feel its necessary to repeat you abolish working policies and following the statements of your boss and his campaign trail, promises to improperly grant asylum. As a result people from all over the world tested the system and came and released in the mass waves began. This increased demand the cartels took advantage. Regulated it to overwhelmingly crossing sides of the border and responded by moving the Border Patrol agents from the border, marshals from the air, customs agents from airports to process and release the Record Numbers of people and issue guidance to Law Enforcement to violate laws passed by this coequal branch of congress under removal. With the border wide open and the border have trafficked drugs in humans into the country that has led to the death of thousands, billions of dollars lost and created the crisis you finally acknowledged in recent testimony. Even your counterpart the fbi director Christopher Ray said theres no way to ensure they are not a part of the got a ways that entered the country on your watch and the massive increase in the nationals encountered in 2003 adds to the threats we face at home as you chose not to enforce the law. Your refusal to follow the law is contemptible. The disregard of the request from this coequal branch of government in pursuit of the constitutional duty to conduct oversight, your false statements of the body end of the American People and issuance of guidance to the employees and telling them to violate laws passed by Congress Shows a disregard for the constitution you swore an oath to uphold. Your directives remain unchanged and youve doubled down. The budget request reflects this abstinence and fails to take seriously the crises threatened in the National Security interest especially the wide open borders for example you request a 1. 45 billion cut in the spending budget from what congress enacted last year that includes a 245 million cut for the Border Security operations budget. And as you did in last years budget you proposed a 4. 7 billion slush fund while the border contingency of fund that wouldnt be used to secure the border would help release quickly into the interior. Might i remind you of the founders on the executive branch if the founders wanted the executive branch it would never have detailed the funding duties of this body and the division of power. That is treading on the constitution. The fund will not solve the humanitarian crisis that you created. It would facilitate while trying to hide the truth from the American People. The Budget Proposal provides 350 Border Patrol agents and the act provided enough funding for aid times that number. Your budget requests funding for 43,000 isa beds by comparison in fy 2021 the Previous Administration requested 60,000 at the time when illegal crossings were at their lowest in decades. The targets to remove illegal aliens were abysmal in 2020 amended the covid19 pandemic removed 185,800 while in fiscal year 19 and removal exceeded 267,000. Last year despite more than 3. 2 million inadmissible encounters of the border you yoe accomplished around 143,000 removals and in this budget youre only targeting 125,000. At that rate it would take 16 years to remove the roughly 2 million got a ways on your watch and nothing of the more than 9 million encounters more of whom have also been released. Meanwhile the communist Party Continues to carry out multifaceted espionage influences against the United States. The regime has shown if we give an inch they will take a mile. You have given them all 1,951 miles of the southern border. While we are appalled by your handling of the Border Security issues, the committee does work with the department on key issues. Passed february the administration issued an executive order for more stringent cybersecurity reports and emphasis and we support these initiatives and your proposal also recognizes the workforce is vital to the protection of the homeland strengthening the Cyber Workforce pipeline would be one of the Top Priorities for the remainder of the year and its imperative the 419 fulltime employees you requested for Cyber Security Infrastructure Security Agency are utilized to that end we must ensure the authorities and resources aligned with this mission. The world is only growing more dangerous. The adversaries in china, russia, iran and elsewhere are expanding capabilities to undermine our interests even within our homeland. While parts of the budget request deal with some of those threats, the request as a whole fails to meet the important time we have. I now recognize the Ranking Member of the gentleman from mississippi mr. Thompson for his Opening Statement. Thank you very much, mr. Chairman. Good morning. I want to begin by thanking the secretary for being here today. Your testimony before the committee despite the unfounded extreme attacks against you speaks to the character, integrity and commitment to the department of Homeland Security, its mission and its people. What seems like a split screen, this morning the committee is upholding its annual hearing on the department of Homeland Securitys budget request. This afternoon, republican members will deliver to the senate their baseless articles of impeachment, and perhaps the most politicized partisan stunned this committee has ever engaged in. From the moment the secretary took office in february, 2021, members of the oversight unfairly targeted them for their own political gain. He would bring an end impeachment case against the secretary mayorkas and he told his contributors to get the popcorn and promised its going to be fine. According to an internal republican memo, republicans had already scheduled the vote to impeach the secretary prior to holding a hearing. This entire thing is a sham from the start. The socalled impeachment hearings that provided not even a shred of evidence of an Impeachable Offense, the republicans shortcircuited their own and refused to let democrats offer amendments in their rush to the house floor and advance the vote the secretary whose mother survived the holocaust was referred to using language the committee had included in the antisemitic terms. I insert in the record an article describing this incident. At the end Impeachment Vote failed and another embarrassing miscalculation of Health Republican leadership on a second try hand at their articles across the finish line. Over two months later, the republicans are still transmitting the impeachment articles to the senate and waited until they thought the timing was politically advantageous. So much for the claims about the border. They wanted to have a dog and pony show into the senate showing yet again what deeply unserious people they are. The senate should dismiss the baseless impeachment articles about the delay. To make matters worse in their thezeal to impeach secretary mayorkas, the republicans have shorted the responsibility to conduct meaningful oversight and advance its Critical Mission has not yet hailed a single oversight hearing on cybersecurity, domestic terrorism, aviation security, vast preparedness and response or Election Security this congress. Shocking for the Committee Born out of 9 11 attacks which had a reputation for rising above the partisan politics to help secure the homeland on behalf of the American People. The committees legislative work has suffered. By the time last congress, the committee reported 49 and that was during a global pandemic. The congress by contrast the committee has reported fewer than half that number. This is what happens when republicans make someone who espouses Political Violence and antisemitic tropes and want to defend the fbi to the de facto leader. This is what happens when republicans prioritize over politics that serve the American People. It is chaos and miss function by design. If you dont believe me, look how long it took to elect a speaker we did nothing but vote after vote and to add insult to injury, democrats were accused of killing things down and we are the minority policy. If republicans are looking for someone to hold accountable, they should start looking in the mirror. Secretary mayorkas has remained steadfast and continues to do his job across the departments many critical Homeland Security Missions Including Border Security and immigration enforcement. Hes used a full range of authorities at his disposal and stretched the resources provided by congress to secure the border. Under his leadership the department has removed record levels of migrants, detained more people than congress had provided funding for and prevented unprecedented amounts of fentanyl from entering the communities. Republicans talk a lot about supporting border securities, but you know, talk is cheap. If republicans were serious about improving conditions along the border, they would provide the department the funding necessary to do so. Instead, the majority, a dozen in fact, including the chairman voted no on providing dhs the funds it needs to secure the border. Republicans have also refused to consider the Border Security supplemental funding the department requested months ago starving dhs and its frontline for the money they need to carry out their duties. Americans arent fooled by these republican political gains. They understand that when you invest your resources if republicans value Border Security i want to hear secretary mayorkas talk about the administrations budget request for the department of Homeland Security. I want to ask how we can support the departments mission and its 260,000 dedicated personnel. That is our responsibility and has one i know our democratic members take seriously. Mr. Chairman, the committee can do better. It has done better under the leadership from the chairman of both parties. I look forward to returning to better days on the committee. Mr. Chair, i yield back. The gentleman yields. Other members are reminded Opening Statements may be submitted for the record. We are pleased to have secretary mayorkas here and i would ask the secretary to rise and raise his right hand. Do you solemnly swear the testimony you will give before the committee on the United States house of representatives be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you god . Let the record reflect the secretary answered in the affirmative. Thank you. You may be seated. I would like to introduce the witness. A secretary mayorkas is the seventh secretary of Homeland Security of which he serves february, 2021. He served as the deputy secretary and the director of uscis. Let me welcome and recognize mro summarize his Opening Statement. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, members of the committee come every day the 268,000 members of the department of Homeland Security carry out the mission to protect the safety and security of the American People protect our shores, skies, cyberspace, leaders based on fentanyl and other deadly drugs from entering the country. They limited the response to maritime emergency as we speak they are engaged in the response to the tragic bridge collapse in baltimore. They help rebuild after Natural Disasters and combat the scourges of Human Trafficking and online Child Sexual Exploitation and so much more. All this despite the insufficient budget. The Public Servants of dhs deserve full support the end of the American People deserve the results of fully resourced can deliver. The opportunities outlined in the fiscal year 2025 budget or dhs are critical to meeting those goals and i welcome the opportunity to discuss this proposed budget and highlight some of the proposals with you today. When our department was founded in the wake of 9 11, the threat of terrorism against the visibility targets was our primary concern. That threat persists, but we also now confront the terrorism related threat of radicalized offenders in small groups already resident here in the United States. The budget provides for an 80 million increase to the departments Nonprofit Security Grant Program. Additional funds for targeted violence into terrorism Prevention Grants dhs can better help communities prevent tragedies. As loan actors and nationstates increasingly target the Critical Infrastructure and data, the president s budget provides the needed funding for cybersecurity and resiliency. Fentanyl is raking tragedy across the country. He dhs has more elicit fentanyl and more individuals arrested for fentanyl related crimes than the last two fiscal years and in the previous five combined. The president s budget includes critical funding to advance the strategy including funds from nonintrusive inspection technologies and targeted operations. During the time when the world including our hemisphere is experiencing the greatest displacement of people since world war ii, dhs helped the border enforcement and maximizing the available resources authorities and in the last 11 months we have removed or returned more than 630,000 individuals that didnt have a legal basis ban every fiscal year since 2013. The president s budget would further expand these efforts and provides funding for hiring enforcement personnel and bolstering the refugee process. The immigration system however is fundamentally broken. Only congress can fix it. Congress hasnt updated the enforcement walls since 1996, 28 years ago. And only congress can deliver for more Border Patrol agents, xylem officers and immigration judges, facilities and technologies. Our administration worked closely with a Bipartisan Group of senators to Reach Agreement on a National Security supplemental package that would make the system changes that are badly needed and give them the tools and resources needed to meet todays Border Security challenges. We remain ready to work with you to pass this bipartisan agreement. Finally, extreme weather continues to devastate communities. Last year fema responded to more than 100 to disasters. The budget provides 22. 7 billion to the Community Leaders to help survivors in the aftermath of major disasters and additional funds to the strategies that will save lives and taxpayer money in the decades to come. It is essential to the success across the mission sets is the departments ability to recruit and maintain a worldclass workforce. In addition to the front lane workforce i mentioned, the president s budget includes 1. 5 billion for the commitment to compensate the workforce. The recently passed budget welcome to many of the obligations was enacted to lead to implement in the hiring surge and reduced by 20 muchneeded support for cities dealing with migrant related challenges and cut the Critical Research and development. I am eager to work with you to address these and other shortfalls in the weeks ahead as i am eager to deliver the sustained funding, resources and support that the extraordinarily talented and dedicated Public Servants of dhs need and deserve. Thank you, mr. Secretary. Members will be recognized by order of sin ready for five minutes of questioning. And id like to say the secretary has i think a hard out today and that is going to come up much faster. I understand he has a busy schedule. Typically my policy is to let people go beyond the five minutes if they are making a question and continuing a train of thought. Unfortunately today we are not going to be able to allow that and i hate that but as i apply it evenly to both sides i will apply the five minutes with of the gavel for both sides of the aisle to be a so its five minutes into five minutes only because we want to allow everyone here to get an opportunity to ask questions of the secretary and i would like to ask the staff on both sides if they would communicate the change for today to the individuals who are not present right now. I recognize myself for five minutes of questioning. Mr. Secretary, youve issued a guidance that directed personnel to disregard the language meaning disregard of the law passed by congress from specific countries to enter the United States directly without any law passed by congress and in violation. Before the Supreme Court arguing on yours and your boss behalf as well as resolve and testimony to congress that you had prosecutorial discretion i think is the term that is getting used to disregard those when the resources are overwhelmed. That has essentially been the argument that shall detain language cannot be adhered to because the resources were overwhelmed. Is that generally correct . Know it is not, let me assure you we and force the laws that congress has passed and that is the direction that ive given through the workforce throughout my tenure. During the hearing or the trial, texas versus the United States, the solicitor general made it very clear the reason theyve been written the way theyve been written is because theres some form of discretion allowed to make the choice that we are not going to follow the shall detain. We can get thousands of examples of where that has happened. It doesnt mean that its a reason to detain someone. Do you know how many detention beds were emptied on average . Let me be clear that we maximize the detention beds that are available and are curtailed by using the detention beds by reason of. Certain restrictions were used and availability by recent of the covid 19 pandemic. Let me share what has been put out in documents from your department. Each year thereve been i would submit thousands of beds available roughly 9,000 on average 3,000 a day and shall detain is what you want to do and agree the law says we are leaving thousands of beds empty every day and this is not counting the various facilities where the courts have ordered you not to use them. We are not including those in the countess. Yet the arguments before the Supreme Court and in your testimonies before year have been that the resources are overwhelmed and therefore we have to catch and release these people into the country. In your Opening Statement you said we need more resources. Its interesting in that claim for more resources so we can adhere to the law in this budget you are decreasing the requested detention beds. That seems to me to be ideological because we dont have enough resources there are thousands of empty beds and we are going to ask for less in this budget. That doesnt make any sense to me. I would submit to you that it speaks to somewhat of an intent to not adhere to that. Thats my perception on this. Let me ask you this question recently the last trip here you admitted that there was a crisis at the southwest border. What changed . Nothing changed. Ive recognized the enormous challenge ever since i began my tenure and well before that when i served as a deputy secretary. When you came to congress and said there was no crisis at the southern border in your first few trips here to secure the border and nothing changed between then and now youre saying its a crisis . Ive never minimized the challenge the southern border presents. I didnt minimize it when i served as a prosecutor 12 years from 1989 to 2001. Im going to gavel myself. I recognize the Ranking Member for his five minutes of questioning. Republicans have wasted little time playing political games with the southern border while rejecting any serious solution and voting against Border Security funding. If you are for it you should support resources. If you are against it i assume you vote against it because you are not for it. So i dont know why it happens, but democrats historically supported robust funding. Is it a Perfect Agency . Of course not. Republicans have tried to starve dhs personnel of the resources needed to do their job. The chairman said not another dime for dhs when it comes time to fund the department i guess addressing the surge and migration in the Human Trafficking worth ten cents overseeing and have ignored and voted against every opportunity to provide necessary resources. They voted no on an omnibus and refused to consider the supplemental request and cold the Bipartisan Senate border deal dead on arrival within minutes of the text being released. Two thirds of the republicans on this committee voted against funding and Border Security. He wants chaos at the border to help his chances in the selection. They want a show, not solutions. The delegates are united in finding solutions and providing the agents and offices of dhs with the resources needed to do so safely and effectively. Can you describe how the resources and the emergency supplementals are the Bipartisan Senate border deal would help the Department Address the issues at the southern border . Ranking member thompson, the president s supplemental would provide us with vital resources needed to hire additional personnel across the spectrum of the workforce that and force the southern border and do so much more. The Bipartisan Senate legislation would not only resource the department as we are needed to address a broken immigration system, but also very importantly, actually change the law and authorize us to use tools that have long been needed to address the broken immigration system. It would take a multiyear asylum process and reduce it to as little as 90 days or even less. That is a game changer in terms of deterring illegal migration to the border. Thank you. Lets go to Election Security. We have elections coming up this november and as you know, dhs is responsible for securing Critical Infrastructure including elections. They work to counter efforts to undermine confidence in Election Outcomes and after inciting at the capital because he was reelected, donald trump spent four years making legitimate elections work so toxic that im worried that the federal government is reluctant to support officials and other stakeholders the way that it should this november. Last weeks claim about voter fraud with the former president and speaker would only make the work of the Election Officials order. Other stakeholders relied on the support to administer secure elections in 2020. Can you assure us that dhs will bring the full range of its resources to support the 2024 election . Yes, i can, Ranking Member thompson. I yield back. Of the gentlemans time is expired and i recognize the chairman of the committee on Foreign Affairs and former chairman of this committee for the five minutes of questions. Mr. Chairman, good morning. You take an oath to protect the country from enemies both foreign and domestic. I believe in many respects you violated that oath. Let me start with the immigration and nationality act. The government shall take into custody any alien that has committed an aggravated felony. Those are dangerous violent criminals. And as you know, you are an attorney as anti, shall is mandatory language. It doesnt say maybe. It doesnt say whatever you think at the time. It says shall. Mandatory language means you shall detain. Yet in september of 2021, the memo to your Border Patrol agents titled guidance for enforcement of civil Immigration Law you instructed your officers not to take prior criminal conduct into account when taking enforcement action. Whether you say the citizen poses a current threat to Public Safety is not to be determined according to the right lanes and categories. Our personnel should not rely on the fact of a conviction or the result of a database search alone. In other words, you directed the agents on the ground on the border to define the laws of congress to release violent criminals into the country and you know under the statute for those who dont it means it includes murders, rapists, pedophiles and drug traffickers and god knows how many have been released into this country due to this policy that youve issued in september, 2021. My state took this all up on an appeal to the Supreme Court where Justice Cavanaugh asked whether it would be warranted for an official who defined the law passed by congress. The solicitor general applied such steps wouldnt be warranted in the face of a dramatic abdication of the statutory responsibility by the executive. In my view, youve divided the law, congressional intent to the best interest of the American People you made the country a far more dangerous place, not to mention those on the terrorist watch list weve gotten into this country. How do you respond . Mr. Chairman, i have three points to make. One, you mischaracterized the guidelines. I read directly from them. Second, we have removed more in aggravated felons each month in the prior administration. Third, my enforcement guidelines mirrored to a great extent the quoted language of prior enforcement guidelines other administrations have issued and the fact of the matter is we enforce the law that we deem Public Security reclaiming my time you say that you enforce the law. When you told your agents dont take into account the criminal conduct aggravated felons do not take into account the fact it may be murder, conviction or rapist conviction. That is what is under the statute. Dont take that into account. And you can say you have the best record ever as a secretary of homeland. You can say that, but i guess back home in my state of texas, very upset with the Supreme Court justice and stories for the lord admiral neglected that shall be redeemed in impeachable office. I believe that is exactly the case here. Youve neglected and you destroyed the fabric of the nation. How many persons on the terrorist watch list have gotten into the country . I would be pleased to provide you with that in the hearing. And would you provide the names and backgrounds . Let me assure you that the security of the American People is our highest priority. Will you provide the names and backgrounds . We will provide whatever you need in the appropriate setting. A bit of a nonanswer but i will take that. I recognize the gentleman from california and at the subcommittee on the Border Security and enforcement. Thank you mr. Chairman. Mr. Secretary, welcome. The first question is we take an oath i believe it is the fifth time that ive taken the oath of office in my Public Service career. Thank you. I am the Ranking Member of the subcommittee for Border Security and ive made it my mission to understand and learn the needs of the personnel at the border, both of the borders. Bend the border several times, spoken with men and women in green and blue uniforms. Its clear that today we are facing challenges at home and abroad like we have never faced before. We just returned from a trip to africa. A common issue because many countries visited both refugees, egypt and posting 10 million refugees, just one country alone. Here we are talking about the budget for the personnel you need, a budget for the resources you need to, the department of Homeland Security to protect the great country. Ive watched my colleagues on the other side of the aisle block the president s emergency supplemental request and to even refuse to consider the bipartisan bill and in the last few months my colleagues on this side of the aisle repeatedly threatened to shut down government over the Homeland Security budget. Secretary mayorkas can you explain in plain terms what my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, their refusal to pass supplemental requests, how does that put the country in danger . Congressman, with the Additional Resources we look at we provided the supplemental budget request and to the security of the border we would have additional equipment and technology, additional personnel in every facet of Border Security. You talk about additional personnel. We have a shortage of personnel right now at the borders . We do. We need additional personnel to man the ports of entry and additional Border Patrol agents. The ports of entry thats where most of the fentanyl coming to the country enters and it accounts for about 70 coming into the country. Youre telling me we are short a personnel at these critical junctures is that what you are telling me . We need additional field personnel to equip the ports of entry and to enforce our laws. Let me go back and ask a question that you didnt finish answering that was asked of my colleagues. The thousands of empty beds, how do you explain that . Recently weve been overcapacity in our detention facilities. There are court cases that impose restrictions on the ability to use the beds that we have been funded so if the law were to change maybe some of those court cases, that would be the case i would want to get back to you on that. I will share with you the Bipartisan Senate legislation funded the department of Homeland Security 50,000 detention beds and even more so than we would resource last year. So how would that affect the situation that my colleagues on the other side were talking about, all these individuals that could be essentially held at these empty beds so to speak, adding to these empty beds and at the talk of all these people being released, would they be held as everyone recognizes the more that we are funded for, the more individuals we would be able to detain and at the the supremecourt has quite cleay recognized the capacity for which we have been funded is inadequate to comply to the letter of the law. The Bigger Picture is processing individuals at the borders that may or may not be eligible for asylum we are critically short in those resources. I hope that we can move forward and address that issue. I am out of time, mr. Sec. Thank you for being here. I recognize the gentleman from louisiana the chair of the subcommittee on Border Security and enforcement for five minutes. Thank you mr. Chairman. The manning regarding the constitutional writ of impeachment proceedings. Impeachment is not needed may include violations of the written law. There was never intended to be specific criminal violations in the statute. In many ways impeachment proceedings are intended to be guided by conduct that are far more deeply etched upon Human History than any written law can never be. And basil meant as a criminal act and a betrayal of trust. A betrayal of trust is not a statute. The House Committee on Homeland Security advanced articles of impeachment against the department of Homeland Security secretary mayorkas. He has been impeached by the peoples house. These articles do not impugn the secretarys character no less dissenting views on how to handle the crisis of the border. Instead of the impeachment articles against the secretary mayorkas carry the charge of high crimes and misdemeanors. Its important all americans recognize the true meaning of high crimes and misdemeanors. While some of my colleagues have claimed that the charges confined to specific violations of criminal statute, let us not fail to recognize the founders original intent and well welldocumented debate following the origin and meaning of the term. Article two, section four about the constitution reads the president , Vice President and all civil officers of the United States shall be removed from office on and impeachment for and conviction of treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors. At the Founding Fathers use this phrase high crimes and misdemeanors having 400 years of British Parliament historical precedent which did not limit itself to misconduct but more importantly, encompassed a neglected duty and abuse of power. This is not funny, mr. Sec. Literally the office and of the authority that had been entrusted enshrined in this phrase in the constitution. The Founding Fathers put trust in congress to determine what constitutes an Impeachable Offense and what is encompassed in the high crimes and misdemeanors. It was never intended to be a criminal proceeding but instead the view by the American People of the executive and mechanism for accountability when all else has failed. Sec. Mayorkas has not only betrayed the trust of the American People, his service as the secretary has left a scar on the nation that may never be removed. The articles of impeachment brought against secretary mayorkas past the house and have now been delivered this afternoon to the senate. It is vital the senate uphold this constitutional obligation to hold a fair impeachment trial. The American People deserve accountability, but the gross misconduct of the secretarys handling of the borders is incumbent upon members of congress to enforce the authority outlined by the Founding Fathers were impeachment. Under secretary mayorkas, america has suffered. Over 300,000 americans have died from cartel drug wars and communities of crushed under the weight of 12 million illegal aliens in the span of three years. Cryan has reached unprecedented levels within American Communities across the country. Secretary mayorkas, the arrogant disregard of the security and sanctity of the American People has brought congress to this point, unspeakable pain upon the nation. His service as secretary will forever be shrouded in shameful failure and generational trauma. He is been impeached by the house and must now be tried by the senate and removed from office. Mr. Chairman, i yield. The gentleman yields and i now recognize the gentleman from louisiana and Ranking Member on the subcommittee counterterrorism Law Enforcement for five minutes. Thank you mr. Chairman, thank you secretary mayorkas for joining us today as we reveal the fy 25 budget request. President bidens budget request reflects democrats commitment to put politics aside and work in good faith to address security challenges facing the nation. Todays review is important so we can continue to find solutions, not politics, solutions that we as americans should want. We often have different approaches, but what we see here in the impeachment is nothing more than a witchhunt and opportunity to cloud the issue and evidenced by the fact that the senate has measured that would bring us to a measure of success to move the ball forward. But my colleagues in the house, because of the directive by the former president , quote on quote, do not give President Biden a victory, our jobs are not to give the president s victories, our job is to give the American People victories. The job is to fight to make sure we have a secure border. The job is here to make sure we see things through the lens not as republicans and democrats, but as americans. Unfortunately, that is not happening. I would go on record as predicting the United States senate would not even take of these articles of impeachment because they are meritless and baseless and because they are purely political in nature and they are not rooted in the fairness justice or the american way. So im going to give it a little bit if we might because we talked about this quite a bit, so im going to pivot to Flood Insurance. Mr. Sec. , last time you were here before the committee i relayed my concerns about 2. 0 and that it would leave many in my district especially in low and moderate income communities priced out of their homes by increases. You stated that you were reviewing and need to continue to review given the concerns that have been expressed and since then ive only seen Flood Insurance prices get worse given the urgency of the situation and the impact on the communities can you provide the committee with an update on how the department is taking steps to help the communities that are struggling with the risk rating . Congressman, i will followup with you and provide you an update on Flood Insurance 2. 0. Taking extraordinary measures and issued guidance and changed policies to be sure that minority and underserved communities have greater access to our Grant Programs to individual assistance and other resources fema provides in the wake of Natural Disasters and to protect communities. I will provide you an update with respect to Flood Insurance specifically. One of the things we have repeatedly asked for both this committee as well as transportation infrastructure, which i also serve, and individual meetings in my office and office of the fema administrator. What algorithm what formula is used to drive the rate . We have consistently said some algorithm, but we have yet to be shared what that is. How do we explain to the people and the district how they are developed when we get a vague answer to that . I would appreciate if you can drill down and share with the American People what the formula is and how importantly how we can adjust it to make sure people are not being forced to make a decision about being able to live in a home that they have now paid for and they can no longer afford to ensure because the rates are higher than when they had a mortgage. This is unattainable, and i ask that you would look into that and share some meaningful answers. I will do so, congressman. The gentleman from mississippi and vice chair of the committee. Thank you mr. Chairman. I want to point out what i highlighted last week when you testified. You came in with your Opening Statement and talk about the budget being insufficient and you blame congress that we are not giving you the resources and departmental resources that you need to. But last year in the fy 24 budget that we just passed, congress appropriated a 61. 8 billion in discretionary spending, which was more than you asked for. So congress is giving you more money than you are asking for about you are repeatedly coming into these hearings and trying to say that you dont have the Financial Resources you need to carry out the job. At the chairman mentioned the detention beds. We talked last week that they are incredibly troubling at the fact you come in and once again ask for less detention beds, significantly less detention bedstand we funded in the fy 24 budget. You told me in that hearing last week that you agreed with the senate 50,000 to detention beds, yet you come in and asks congress only to find 34,000 when we currently are funding 41,500 and you continue to seek to place the blame on us. Im reading from the physical report isis annual report and that annual report to mr. Sec. , which is issued by your agency on page 17 that says congressional funding detention beds have remained static for several years and at the detained population is limited as a result. And a question, you talk about the fact that the court says that theres been an Adequate Funding for detention beds and so how do you come in here and ask for less detention beds, but yet every time you testify you try to place the blame back on congress because we are actually funding more detention beds every year then you are asking for, and at the time in which we see a record surge of immigrants coming to the border and a time in which you have at least finally now admitted that there is a crisis on the border and we are seeing support every day in the media about Violent Crimes committed by immigrants who are not in custody or not detained but released into the interior, yet you come in here and as a key part of your budget you are asking for substantially less detention beds. I find that troubling, mr. Sec. , mr. Secretary, as i look at the report reported by ice and which i see a plaintiff to the fy 23 Year End Report that the mind detained docket that shows the number of individuals who youve allowed in the country has reached over 6. 2 million people, 6. 2 million. I spoke just yesterday with the director and in my conversation i brought up the fact of what was in this report and he told me, mr. Sec. , that number is now over 7 million, that that report is over. Reported weeks ago at the end of this year 2024 its expected to grow so we see this Record Number of people that you are allowing to come into the country but yet we are seeing you do nothing to ask for more detention beds and i find that troubling and i have to believe that i am not the only member of the committee that finds it troubling that we are not asking for a sufficient number of detention beds. And mr. Sec. I also had the opportunity to ask you last week when you testified before the Appropriations Committee about this news article. A news article reported by fox news that provided you some of the content when we met last week but i wanted to show this to you and this is from an article 2024. It tells Border Patrol agents that about 85 of Illegal Immigrants have been released into the United States and it goes on in the first paragraph and it says Homeland Security secretary mayorkas admitted the current rate of release for Illegal Immigrants apprehended at the southwest border is above 85 . Then made the statements if there were sources in the room who heard that it goes on to say there were at least three agents who verified that you made that statement and so did you make the statement that it was reported on january 8, 2024 . As i mentioned to you last week i do not recall. I now recognize the gentleman from michigan the Ranking Member of the subcommittee on transportation and Maritime Security for his five minutes of questions. And unfortunately my colleagues do not seem to want to help to fix that problem. I admire your efforts to expand all programs from migrants and countries facing extreme conditions like haiti and cuba as well as to restore family reunification programs for families in central america. America is a nation of immigrants. And yet we have a broken immigration system. In 1979 growing up in poverty i was fortunate to have gotten admission into a program in the United States. And that would have changed my life. Went to the American Embassy enema by got there at 5 00 a. M. In the morning. Stood in line only to be denied my student visa. Denied for four more times the fifth time the visa got approved because the denying officer was on vacation to the United States. Our visa is an infinite issue. Its creating such a stressful environment for families, Technology Companies unable to find skilled workforce. Countries like canada and australia are taking away some of our workforce because of a broken immigration system. I want to see an orderly immigration process that benefits the United States. That benefits our economy and helps create american jobs. How do you think congress can help you to achieve that . Congressman, the president s very first day in office presented congress with a comprehensive legislative package to fix what everyone agrees is a broken immigration system. To advance a piece of legislation and to advance the Senate Bipartisan legislation would transform our broken immigration system and reform it. It is not been a form since 1996. Its long outdated and longer broken. Thank you mr. Secretary. Went to give an opportunity to respond to questions you may not have adequate time to respond if you so choose to do. Congressman, we support the funding of 41500 beds. We support the funding of 50000 detention beds the Senate Bipartisan legislation provided. It is most regrettable that Bipartisan Legislation is not advanced it. We urge congress to advance it. It would advance our Border Security immeasurably. Mr. Chairman, may i use my time to the gentleman . Thank you mr. Tanner. We just have a few seconds mr. Secretary. I want to follow up on what chairman mccaul was talking about. He is setting in a shell detained language. A memo you issued in september of 2021 pretty once given opportunity to explain what it says in that memo. Even in the quote he readies it aggravated felonies shalt not be the only consideration when deciding whether or not to seek detention. Could you explain what your guidance was in the face of the reality there are insufficient beds to comply with the letter of the law . Congressman the direction to Law Enforcement agents was to use their discretion, their experience to determine who presents the greatest Public Safety threat and detain those individuals. Is on the time its expired some else yield yield a course of the like. I dont wreck it is mr. Bishop the judgment from North Carolina in the chair of the subcommittee and oversight for five minutes of questions. Think it mr. Chairman. Secretary mayorkas you frequently justify the actions and efforts of dhs and ship and secretary let me ask about the results of your more than three years of tenure. Do you consider the results of your administration the department on security to be a success . Im incredibly proud of the men and work at the department of Homeland Security, congressman. They risk their lives for christ you consider to be a success . Im incredibly proud of everything they do. You consider to be a success . I consider them to be a tremendous success and advance the safety and security of the American People. You consider your administration of the department of security success . This is a resource and authority authoritysay half of them the extraordinary job. November 2022 i asked whether continue to maintain the border is secure. You said yes and its getting more secure every day. You still say so . Congressman with the resources on the authorities we have been provided lucas as secure as we can make it. Under your orders department on security paroled venezuelan jose into the United States. It would onto a variety of climes the into beating a young woman to death in georgia. The statute grants you authority to paroled aliens into the states quote only on a casebycase basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant bands of the law. Public safety of the American People is the highest priority i would be pleased to share case details with you in any case of concern to subsequent to this hearing. I do not have the case details with me today. Im not asking for details. Urgent humanitarian reasons are significant Public Benefit under your orders he was paroled into the United States . The answer remains the same. You mean you would have to review something . You have to review something for you to provide case details . Are you just cannot say this form . The form. You dont know . I do not have the details for the respect of that individuals case. Ill be pleased to provide them to you, congressman precook secretary the Heritage Foundation oversight project has released this document that allegedly a flyer distributed at a Nongovernmental Organization in mexico called the Resource Center. Which apparently is said to read and part if translated, reminder to vote for President Biden when you are in the United States. We need another four years of his term to stay open. I noted by the way rcm has denied this is authentic. They are competing reports about it. Let me ask you this, what action its apartment on security taking to ensure especially given the millions of illegal entries and 2 million gato is non citizens are being prevented from registering and voting unlawfully. Congressman come individuals were not citizens of the United States cannot vote in federal elections for. That is not what i asked for ask what actions dhs is taking to ensure that doesnt occur . Two things but never once it is state and local Election Officials that monitor the eligibility of individuals. We do not oversee the election and enrollment process. What we do is enforce our borders. And so in short order and nothing. How can congress and the American People the confidence the outcome of elections will not turn on the boats of noncitizens have voted and registered unlawfully . SElection Security is one of our priorities. In the distribution of federal grant funds to state and local jurisdictions we have made Election Security a priority. First i will reclaim my time. Last point, im curious you as less detention beds you explained you did that based on the level of detention beds needed under the senate quote bipartisan bill. How is that built bipartisan other than supported by James Lankford is there another publican of the center house that supported that bill . Congressman we continue to support the Bipartisan Legislation. A group of senators worked on for months. My time is expired thank you brick with general simes expired to recognize the gentleman from rhode island Ranking Member of the subcommittee and counterterrorism and Law Enforcement and intelligence for his five minutes of questions. Think you chairman, thank you mr. Secretary for being here. Our country faces a range of security threats from foreign terrorist organizations, domestic extremists, cartels, organized crime and Natural Disasters just to name a few. You have been diligently doing your job along with your colleagues at the department to protect the American People in the face of these challenges. Our republican colleagues in the house have instead been playing politics culminating political impeachment that had no legal basis. I am sorry some of our colleagues have chosen to make you the target of political attacks on saturday gave you the tools you need to do your job to keep people safe. When i want you to know that many of us are still willing to put politics aside and work with you and work with each other on a bipartisan basis to protect the homeland. The president s fiscal year 20258 request 62 billion including hundreds of millions more for staffing and technology to secure the southern border. Proposes 4. 7 billion first southwest Border Contingency Fund to provide resources to the department with migration along the southwest border warrants additional capacity. This is the right thing to do. I hope our republican colleagues will support this funding unlike last year when they delayed action on the president supplemental funding request for the border for months while they wasted time with impeachment. It is inexcusable our republican colleagues did not pass the final escort 24 fighting for the department for nearly six months forcing the department to work under multiple crs reducing operations and overstrained the workforce of the department. I hope fiscal 25 will be different. Funding the department of Homeland Security is also critical because our nation faces an increased threat from the rise of domestic violent extremists. Now, we heard few mr. Secretary fbi director rate last november during the worldwide threats hearing that the top domestic terrorism threat we face continues to be from a racially and ethnically motivated and antigovernment motivated violent extremists. Some of these are organized groups like the group that engaged in the plot to kidnap the governor of michigan buried some of the groups who storm the capitol on january 6 in a violent attempt to overturn illegal and unlawful election. Others are loan actors like the individuals who attacked paul pelosi. Many of these individuals are shamefully inspired by and scapegoated by members of this congress and former President Trump. But the Accountability Office has shown domestic terrorism cases have increased dramatically in recent years. This alarming fact it might like to turn to mr. Secretary. Can you tell us what is the department on security seeing with respect to the threat from domestic violent extremists . Particularly as we grow closer to the election what steps of the Department Taking to address any potential threats to government bodies, officials ind the public at large . Congressman we are as a director at ray have expressed previously in a heightened threat environment. Indeed, individuals drawn to violence because of ideologies of hate, false narratives, antigovernment sentiments are of significant concern of ours. We do a number of things. We disseminate information and analysis to state local tribal territorial Law Enforcement and other officials. We distribute grant funds. We are grateful for congresses support of those grant funds. We need those funds to increase to enable local communities to protect and guard themselves. As a mention in my Opening Statement we have a very important targeted violence and terrorism Prevention Grant program. It enables communities to employ best practices in the identification of an individual who may be drawn to violence and intervene before tragedy occurs. Those are some examples. Think it mr. Secretary for that project with the support of state and local Law Enforcement agencies as we saw on january 6 it is often a Law Enforcement and uniform who are on the receiving end of these assaults and we do everything we can to support them against this threat. So i thank you very much and i am out of time so i will yield back or content of venues i now recognize mr. Mendez the judgment from floor to the chair of Transportation Maritime security subcommittee. Correct think it mr. Chairman i find it amazing our democrat dec colleagues from across the hell are always throwing money at the issue. Always its money, money, money except the real culprit has been over 64 actions taken by the executive branch that actually cause the problem of the border. Not once have i ever heard any of my democrat colleagues ask for why dont we start constructing the wall again . Why dont we reinstitute remain in mexico policy which actually will take care about 70 of probably had. Now mr. Mayorkas ably fiscal year 2011 a Record Number of encounters at the border. I think only surpassed by fiscal year 22 we had another record encounter at the border. Surpassed again in 2023 we had another record encounters at the border but do expect another record in 2024 . Congressman i strongly encourage congress to pass its Bipartisan Legislation which would make a significant difference and advance our security interest at the southern border and the northern border. Have you ever asked the president to reconsider some of his 64 actions that would lead to the crisis that we have it right now with the border . Congressman, we are facing the largest displacement of people around the world. Including in our hemisphere progressive or as the president of the United States to reconsider any of the 64 executive actions that he has taken to address the crisis at the border . Congressman i am not familiar with the 64 to which you refer. And i assure you they are not the cause of the largest displacement of people in the world. Including in our hemisphere. And of glued of course a number of people make a significant number of people with the authoritarian regime in cuba which both you and i personally experience. I think the authoritarian regime has been in place about 60 years. It does not make sense to me that somehow and now they are fleeing the authoritarian regime of cuba. Uni both the left that authoritarian regime a long time ago. And so again are you familiar with the president s executive order to stop the construction of the wall and southern border . I most certainly m. Have you advised him that maybe it is a good idea to Start Construction again on the southern wall to stop the flow of ilLegal Immigration . Congressman i do not believe it is. Okay thank you for only of certain time so thank you you said no. Have you ever talk to the press about reinstituting remain in mexico policy . Which of many, many experts have said probably will take care of 70 of the problem. Give her talk to him about that . Congressman remain in Mexico Program was implemented in january of 2019 i believe. I believe in 2019 the number of encounters at the southern border exceeded those in 2018 by almost one 100 if i have my data corrected. A number of encounters in 2020 or far less than the number of encounters in 2021. Would you say that is correct . Congressman if you will recall what had happened in 2022 points. Number one covid 19 pandemic. Number two, it remained in mexico in order to implement it we rely upon the sovereign nation of mexicos agreement. Mexico is unequivocally stated it will not support any implementation of remain in mexico the success is quite dubious. Interesting points. The only reason they will not support make the did support remain in mexico policy. You unilaterally withdrew it. Its not because of mexico asking you to stop it, you just did it. I only have about 56 seconds left. We are currently witnessing total chaos and disorder and haiti. The u. S. Has begun to evacuate citizens and collaborating with regional partners to address the violence. It is the United States patrolling or admitting patients into the state of florida and elsewhere that have not received eight viable background check . Congressman, we screen and vet individuals before per patrolling them into the United States. Thank you i go my time back too. Of judgment yields. I know in the past, mr. Secretary pressed on if you ever given your chance for brca1 to offer if you need a break or we can press on. Thank you very much mr. Chairman. I am prepared to press on. I may revisit that at some point with your indulgence. Absolutely. I just dont last time we had ho inure think he went four hours straight and never had a break. I felt bad about that. I just wanted to offer. I now recognize the gentle lady from texas ms. Jackson lee for her questions. I am sorry. We will go with mr. Iv the gentleman from maryland fire away for five minutes per. Thank you, i appreciate it. Mr. Mayorkas thank you for being here today in the work that you do. I have been listening to my colleagues on the other side talk about treading on the constitution and a scar internation soul. It seems to me the impeachment proceeding that was moved forward out of this committee was to choose scar on the constitution. Really did tread on the constitution. It is interesting to me if we go back, i want to say the fix was in almost before you got into the job or theres an article of impeachment filed in august of 2021. Im not even sure you finish packing and tired of that yet but theres already a movement to remove you from office. Then we had the chairman and the Ranking Member mentioned earlier, speaking to a group of donors and talking about this is going to be fun, referencing the impeachment of you. And get the popcorn break that was almost a year ago. And then we came to the actual hearings that were held i think there were two. I had a little experience dealing with impeachment proceedings in the house previously back in the 80s minute work on the judiciary committee. We did not remove anybody from office with two hearings we get people due process, theyd a chance to present evidence and the like. It was take it in a much more serious matter than this was. We heard another one of my colleagues tried to reconstitute with the standard is for impeachment. The language is pretty plain on its face treason, bribery, other high crimes and misdemeanors theres been an effort to try to recalibrate that because there is no evidence of you committing treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors. So they lowered the bar. I want to read something briefly from one of your predecessors. Mike sure enough who was the Homeland Security secretary under the Bush Administration for it he said in referencing this the effort to impeach you he wrote this back in january. I can say with confidence for all of the investing in the House Committee on Homeland Security is done, they failed to put forth evidence that meets the bar. That is republicans arent seeking to the constitutions high crimes and misdemeanors standard for impeachment. They make the unsupported argument he is derelict in his duties. With respect to that issue the issue of trying to get something done instead of continuing on with the theatrics of impeachment, former secretary says i dont agree with every policy decision the bite administration has made their aspects of immigration strategy that are worthy of debate but House Republicans are ducking difficult policy work hard fought compromise impeachment as a diversion from fixing our broken Immigration Laws giving dhs the resources needed to secure the border pretty here today we discussed the Bipartisan Senate bill while we were moving forward with the average try to put together an impeachment proceeding against at least my republican colleagues you were working in the senates center at lankford and others who tried to put together an actual bipartisan bill to address the problems of the border. That came forward. It was killed by House Republicans went former President Trump gave the word he did not wanted to move forward we have not had any work done on trying to find a bipartisan effort to address these concerns since that day. We have a lot of statements being made in here today the problems at the border and the budgets and issues along those lines. Ready to address the budgetary issues. I do want to say this, i think it is critical for the senate. After we are done with these theatrics will be over that march the articles of impeachment over to the senate. And ask lee senate to remove you from office after a trial but the senate has already made it clear that is not going to happen and it showed in three of fact there should not be a trial over there because this is such an unadulterated process. It is a scar on the history of the constitution reads the first time in 150 plus years as an effort to remove a cabinet member that is gone this far. And for good reason break the senate should throw it out and make this statement this is not the kind of impeachment proceedings that we expect from the house of representatives is certainly not what i expected when i got here. I sought different when i worked here in the 80s but i thought it was supposed to be done. This is not how it was supposed to be done. I do want to conclude on this note. A couple of members of the House Republican caucus i didnt want to paint with too broad a brush. Can a brock this is not just impeachable Public Service time has inspired when he keeps on a tight schedule. Thank you i appreciate it. This time i reckons a judgment from the great state of texas for five minutes of questioning. Think it mr. Chairman jeremy secretaryis the board s . Congressman as i have articulated earlier in this hearing. Yes or no is fine. Is the board secure mr. Secretary today . With the authorities and the finding that we have it is as secure as it can be. We know this is not a budget issue it is a policy issue. It is a terrorist attack inside the United States of america imminent . Let me assure you, congress and the safety and security of the American People is our highest priority. Is an imminent cluster. Same answer. Is imminent today . Let me assure you have you preach the president a terror attack on the exits of americas imminent . Congressman, let me assure you the safety and security of the American People or clicks mr. Secretary of the principal advisor in matters of phone security to the president of the United States . I am one of them progressive brief the president there known or suspected terrorist still at large inside the United States . Congressman let me assure you is i have previously the safety and security of the American People too. Mr. Secretary like to remind you you are under oath. Have you brief the president of the United States that there are people who match the terror watch list that are still at large inside our country . Congressman i repeat my answer. Is that a no . Have you not brief the president . Congressman i have briefed your pics let me ask you a question about your previous testifying in november and i asked you and then, i said is every Single Person apprehended and you did not give me an answer. Ill ask you again. Those that have match the terror watch list have attempted to do or have entered this country illegally, are they detained one 100 of them . Congressman, let me assure you once again that individuals that pose a threat to our National Security or the safety of the American People are the highest priority for detention. Are they all detained . We execute for. Mr. Secretary of the all the change . Christopher wray sat right next you get the courage to enter this question. And he said no. Do you agree with Christopher Wray in his testimony in november of 2023 not every Single Person has been detained you agree with that his testimony . If you are referring to the terrorist Screening Dataset then yes. We make Public Safety National Security determinations. Mr. Secretary its very important answer this question. The American Public deserves to know the answer. Are there people who have matched the terrorist Screening Database the terror watch list any acronym you choose to use, still at large and not apprehended and not detained as of today . Congressman, if we determine an individual on the terrorist screening set is a threat to National Security or Public Safety, they are a priority for detention or. I understand they are. That does not mean they. Are you going to testify honestly under oath today. I would like to remind you are under oath we were testifying today brother people still at large that match the terror watch list . And congressman, if an individual is on the terrorist Screening Data sets they pose a threat to National Security or Public Safety, they are a priority for detention. Is our country at risk of a terror attack . Congressman, we are in a heightened threatened environment. Is not a yes . We are in a heightened threat environment as directorate rate and i have both testified. It is therefore why the personnel of the department on security progress have you brief the president and i sits on the heightened threat question. Ive brief the president , as have others on the Threat Landscape the United States is facing. And it is driving the vigilance of tuna 68000 men and women in the Department Upon security. Mr. Secretary, youd said earlier to my colleague mr. Bishop you be willing to share the details. However you have not. We have been repeatedly asking for this details. Specifically asking for details on the terror watch list. And yet your department is not done that but will you brief us in the next seven days on the metrics and details for the terrorist Screening Database and who those people are question we brief us and unclassified setting who those people are . Congressman ill be pleased to follow up with you and the appropriate setting. A yield back. Could jam it yields about the chair recognizes mr. Golder from the state of new york for five minutes. Think it mr. Chairman, secretary mayorkas thank you for being here once again to endure at the completely uncalled for, unwarranted personal attacks for my republican colleagues. I went to get into some of what they have been saying because it is truly shocking we are where we are. On the one hand my colleague from florida says all democrats want to do is throw money at the problem. Mr. Pflueger just said this is a policy issue. This is not a money issue. Okay, is the Senate Bipartisan bill that you worked on along with the second most conservative in that sand in an independent and democrat endorsed by senate Republican Leadership a policy bill or an appropriation bill . It is both an appropriation bill and an Immigration Reform bill and fixing what everyone agrees is a broken system. It would provide us with new legal authorities that are muchneeded and would really advance the security of the border. One of those critical revisions is in the asylum process. I know this is not under your purview. Do you have any sense of how many asylum applicants ultimately are granted asylum in this country . Congressman, and of course depends on the demographics. But as a general rule i believe it is approximately 28 25 ultimately receive asylum. But i would want to verify that statistic and i probably should not share it. Understood. There are different numbers but it takes at least five years perhaps as many as 10 years for a case to be completely adjudicated, is that right . It takes many years until the case is finally adjudicated. Lets just say hypothetically we had in the silent Processing System that could process any applications within 90 days six month period and i correct that means 75 80 of the people who apply for asylum would not get a silent and be returned to their own country . That would enable us to remove people far more quickly. You are correct. That would make a seachange of a difference in our ability to enforce the southern border of the United States. Is it your view that if that were the case there would not be an incentive for anyone who knows that he or she may not qualify for asylum to come to this country knowing and that person would be able to make an application to get a Work Authorization and stay here for at least five years to work. Is that correct . That is. That of course creates a tremendous incentive for people to come across the border. The problem is not our incredible fear instead of the problem is not the policy of asylum. The problem is we do not have the resources to process asylum applications as expeditiously as is necessary. So no one over here is talking about throwing money at the problem. We are talking about solving the problem. In the senate they tried to solve the problem not just through appropriations but with a policy build. Unfortunately the republicans have put politics over our Border Security. They want chaos in order to win an election rather than solve the problems you do not have to take my word for it. Lets quote donald trump who said he sabotaged the bipartisan deal to secure the border because quote it made it much better for the opposing side. He had stated he quote killed the deal. Senator lankford himself said a Top Republican told me if i tried to move a bill that solves the border crisis during this Election Year he will do whatever he can to destroy me. He said i do not want you to solve this during the president ial election. There was a policy bill there was a policy change that would have significantly address the problems of the border. And instead, you all on the other side of the isles sabotaged that you baselessly impeach the secretary he was trying to solve our problems at the southern border because you want to win it. You want to wait in november bricks with judgments time is expired for the gentlest time has expired or not recognize the gentleman from new york the chairman of the subcommittee and cybersecurity for five minutes were up questioning part. For. Thank you arrive provide mike huggett would build a spouse in the house side address the border crisis it will be passed here, hr two. Nothing actually passed the senate we have acted, the senate has not. That of dissent is a bill, let them they have not been able too. Secretary which ask a question about Nonprofit Security Grant Program. Antisemitism is on the rise. Its been exacerbated by the acts of the terror on the way wr that it spells this program protects american segment essential for securing place of worship and for Jewish Americans to practice their religion is is their constitutional right. The current request for fiscal year 2020 by three or 85 million. See what we have seen and know what you know the risk on the ground especially to the Jewish Americans turn a 5 million enough . We made the tradeoffs under fiscal responsibility act. But we certainly believe the Nonprofit Security Grant Program is an additional funding. For precisely the reason we express. Antisemitism continues to be on the rise. As to other violent acts born of hate. And 85 is enough to protect the americans . We believe it is a significant advance the protection across the country. Thank you. I want to move to Cyber Workforce. Gao came out they report which was startling. For the entire defense and action of Response Team of 11 people five employees for employees and seven contractors. Grossly below the need whats the current Cyber Workforce at the department on security right now . I will have to get back to you on this let me express my deep gratitude for your support of Cybersecurity Mission and all we are seeking to do. Appreciate that i do think it does a great job. My only have 11 employees that cover. Great use of Cyber Talent Management system. We repeatedly seen cybertek repr cyber check after cyber attack americans are starting to ask what are we doing . There is it workforce problem buried there is a shortage. Eleven employees that is not good for that is not good enough. I understand request is just over 3 billion fully fund the entire agency. Thirtys to beat more focus and ive spoken about this you oversee the agency. There needs to be more of a focus on cybersecurity. I also have to say i see they it releases proposal making the budget request 115 almost 116 million for its implementation including staffing and technology. Ive been in support they could do great things. Per our cyber defense. The fcc what you have said but i dont know if theres any no one is stopping us causing a huge problem. We will see more from the agency yourself. By pushing back on the duplicate of rules. The fcc rule and others proposed. The what it put out there is a report out there the bad actors are using as a way to hack more people. This is something the administration is doing under the sec. Youve said it before this rule is duplicative. Weve been saying its value to go back and tell the president this rule has to stop at my time has expired perks of judgments time has expired and i understand mr. Menendez you want to go next. Mr. Garcia are you going to hold but i recognize a gentleman from new jersey, mr. Menendez for five minutes of question of iraqs thank you as always for being here. We appreciate your willingness to engage with us in this setting and individual offices and conversations. I feel its important to address some of the things by our republican colleagues. They should not stand uncorrected. First, it has been said by chairman macauley violated your chairman mccaul you violate your oath i wholeheartedly disagree with that. Gerrit mccall said youve made this country much more dangerous. I disagree with that. You and everyone at dhs work every single day to keep this country and all of us protected. So thank you. For all the dedicated Public Servant to serve alongside you for your work. Chairman has also said you destroyed the fabric of this country. I wholeheartedly disagree with that. I thank you again for your service to this country. Mr. Bishop said and question the success of your administration. Whites refer back former Homeland Security secretary said about the sham impeachment hearings we have had here. House republicans are ducking difficult policy work at hardfought compromise. Impeachments diversion for fixing our broken Immigration Laws and giving dhs the resources needed to secure the border for that is the conversation we should be having today but if were going to judge success i would commend the work you and your colleagues have done a better question the success of this committee and our oversight jurisdiction. In our failure to live up to the mandate. Two quick questions we discussed are made in mexico policy. You said that requires cooperation in mexico. Weve also heard building a wall. Former president from mexico pro would pay for that wall. Has mexico agreed to pay for the building of the wall . No it is not. Thank you for clarifying that point. The substantive questions you came here to discuss, i imagine Spending Amount of time and resources the agency has had preparing for that impeachment proceeding that came to this committee. I am proud to see you still standing. He will continue to keep standing in just a reminder republicans have been more successful at removing their own members from positions by former speaker mccarthy. And now the process seems to be underway for removing speaker johnson. So you keep hanging in there it will they keep removing their own members from positions of leadership. I want to go into fentanyl that is a grave concern to many of us. I want to talk about your work combating the fentanyl in our thunderbird Homeland Securitys on the frontline executing President Bidens plan. I commend you and the dedicated Public Servants at dhs who stopped more fentanyl and arrested for drug traffickers in the last two fiscal years in the previous five combined. The present request emergency supplemental funds for dhs in october of last year. It is now april. My republican colleagues have refused to even consider providing these funds that will help combat Drug Trafficking. Mr. Secretary, howell supplemental funding request support your ongoing efforts to combat fentanyl . Congress and the supplemental request would provide two very important streams of funding. At least. One is for personnel. More investigators, more support staff for those investigators. Their ability to not only investigate and apprehend work domestically and internationally. Also to resource much needed technology. The nonintrusive technology is so remarkably effective at our ports of entry which are the primary avenues is absolutely free democrats look forward to getting those resources so you can continue that important work. That apartment is done a commendable job stopping fentanyl from entering our country toward emphasizing a dhs to stop more fentanyl and arrested for drug traffickers in last two fiscal years the previous five combined as i previously mentioned. Mr. Secretary how did the budget request for fiscal year 25 built on the successes of the last two years . Congress medic continues to fund our personnel. So that we can continue not only implement the strategic operation but also to build on those operations and develop new ones. Our source countries and plus up art transnational investigative units. Our investigators work with International Partners to interdict not only cursor chemicals but also the equipment used to manufacture fentanyl and the finished product itself. Thank you appreciate all your service to our country and i yield back. Tenement yields a recognize the gentle lady from georgia for five minutes of questions. Think it mr. Chairman. Mr. Mayorkas we do not have a country that a secure border. We could not have a safe country. We cannot protect our own democracy without protecting our elections. That is a fact. Open border is the number one issue across america in poll after poll. That is exactly why this committee impeached you. Mr. Secretary, oversight project release and bombshell report last night on your connection to the dark money ngo Industrial Complex of ilLegal Immigration. I know you saw this from one of my colleagues just earlier. Parts of the Resource Center refugee camp in mexico telling illegal aliens, reminder to vote for President Biden when you are in the United States for it we need another four years of his term to stay open. Witnesses saw the fires also being handed out to migrants who were using rcm for assistance in coming to the United States. In an audio recording, the founder of rcm gavi, by the but we maybe should subpoena her to the committee, agreed they need the help as many people as possible before President Trump gets reelected for it rcm is in operation houses of functions for the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society which helps a migrants entered the United States. You are familiar with their work. We know you serve as a former board member of this group that funds ilLegal Immigration. They are very proud of you, mr. Secretary. They congratulate you on your nomination. You worked as a board member of an ngo that is working in conjunction with other ngos which are not only financing the invasion of the country, telling illegal aliens to vote in the United States elections. They are telling illegal aliens, not citizens to come vote for joe biden. That is your boss. This is a corruption at the deepest level. As a matter fact i would call it treason. It is treason because these people have declared war on our citizens by raping our women, our children, and murdering people. Like lakin riley, you are familiar with her, right . It is heartbreaking for a guy you familiar with her . I am familiar with the case because she should have deported her so she could be alive today. Her parents would have appreciated pretty and also kayla hamilton who was brutally raped and murdered by a cartel member, her mother came and spoke to us. You didnt deport him either you let him in the country but you, mr. Secretary have allowed over 10 million illegals. Probably higher than that could be closer to 15 million we dont know to invade our country. Youve allowed the cartels to make up billions and billions as a matter fact or pride the Business Party could have the make this many Human Trafficking and Drug Trafficking at our border. You have allowed approximate 300 americans to be murdered every single day from fentanyl that comes across our border. You are aiding ngos to steal our elections through your budget. I demand proof of citizenship in our election. But something every Single Member of congress should care about we do not need illegal aliens voting in our elections. We are supposed to be here talking about your budget. We are talking at how money is being used to make sure people coming to our country are able to get a Social Security number in which they can register to vote. And on that note mr. Mayorkas i dated Chuck Schumer hold your impeachment trial in the senate. Thats exactly what we should be focused on right now. Mr. Chairman i yield the remainder of my time picker accidentally yields. A recognize mr. Garcia the gentleman from california for five minutes of questions for a quick thank you, mr. Chairman thank you mr. Senator for being im sorry had to listen to misinformation right now and throughout this hearing. I also come up for the record youre here. Youre doing a very difficult job but you know some folks are trying to remove you from office. We know that is not going to happen. The impeachment sham again she was dead on arrival in the senate. Since i look forward to continue to do a very difficult job for the country and for the administration for it now, want to note since you last testified we know donald trump has become the presumptive nominee of his party. Immigrants like you and me remember and understand that no dangerous rhetoric the way he talks about immigrants like us. Going to go back to 2016 i think its important to put those back into the record. Quote went mexico since its people they are not sending their best. They are not sending you, theyre not sending you, the setting people have lots of problems and they are bringing those problems with them for the bringing drugs, theyre bringing crime, their rapist. Its interesting you and i both know noncitizens are 60 less likely to actually commit crimes and citizens. Xena phobic rhetoric to demonize migrants that are trying in many cases searching for a better life and running away from extreme violent positions in their home countries. This writer guidos continued trumps calls immigrants to enter the country often times animals suggested this recently. He said and i quote this is a quote democrats say please dont call the animals, they are humans. Trumps i said no they are not humans their animals. Dehumanizing rhetoric and it is wrong and unacceptable. No mr. Secretary, does this type of rhetoric fueled violence here in the United States . Congressman, im going to refrain on relying on the words of a particular candidate. I appreciate what i will say is is rhetoric is wrong and disturbing and his policies are actually worse. We know President Trump said he would immediately launch the largest domestic deportation operation in american history. What to note and talk a little bit about something donald trump is also trying to characterize as we talk about migrants. He at one of his main lieutenants, Stephen Miller has promised largescale rates using National Guard troops even sending National Guard troops from republican led states into neighboring states led by democrats. But we are seeing and now in texas theres real risk of air but certainly we see National Guard is being used this way in the future. Your opinion what the National Guards being used in texas . Im sorry can repeat . Workspace and were seen on texas do you think theres risks additional risks we can see National Guard being used in a way that could be dangerous at the border . Congressman the deployment of National Guard can be an Effective Force Multiplier when it is coordinated with federal authority specifically unites his Border Patrol. When it is not, it presents a risk to our efforts to secure the border bricks thank you mr. Secular we just saw that recently play out very dangerous and disturbing way. Want to also note something about the way the incumbent present abuse migration and though he views the world. I think its important to point out. We dont 2006 and donald Trump Launches Campaign pointing out mexicans are essentially rapists and murderers. We have seen that already been 2010 told members of congress and the oval office he discussed protecting immigrants from african countries but did not when it migrants what he called that is his quote not mine. Suggest the u. S. And bring more people from countries such as norway, apparently they are nice immigrants. Must not forget to write over and over 2 billion muslims coming from this country as well. All the while he continues to pull extremism and violence by claiming falsely won the 2020 election. Drum continues with his view of the world to attack a Legal Immigration system that actually works. There is a hiring freeze of u. S. Citizenship and custom immigration service. In his administration is used every possible way disqualifying and denying visas. Mr. Secretary can you tell us how polished like denying visas undermine the situation of the border . Congressman individuals to qualify for visas significantly contribute to the wellbeing and advancement of this country. That is quite evident especially in the economic arena producing of skilled workers, nonskilled seasonal workers, Agricultural Workers and many other avenues we are enriched by them. Thank you think im out of time so i yield back break of judgment yields are not recognized mr. Gonzalez a gentleman from texas for five minutes of questions were good thank you chairman thank you, senator for being here do not want to talk about you and talk with the men and women who serve under you. And the particulars of the threats they are dealing with. Transnational criminal organizations tda the venice when the gangs are growing in influence. They are growing in criminal activity throughout the country. I believe there are significant threat to our homeland is not just regionals not just miami, was not just new york, its all over the place mike question is on hsi at whats homeland whaty investigation doing to tackle . Congressman. Homeland security investigations and our sister agencies and the in thefederal government have an unprecedented attack gently Transnational Criminal Organizations but domestic operations here as well. I can provide details subsequent to this hearing but details of that gig progress hsi part of the transnational Anti Gang Task force . I believe it is. Is something i believe is important is every leverage every lever of government tools at the federal, state, local level to go after these criminals i am talking hardened criminals, at actors in our communities but how do we find them . How do we prevent them from committing crimes being part of that hsi will be in the forefront of a lot of that. I represent a large part of west texas. Oil and gas is a big part of that. I was on a recent swing through west texas bay are seeing a rising amount of oil theft and i bring this up because some of this is tied make a lot of its tied to the open border crisis. Some of these actors are not american citizens so what do you do with someone you pull them over if theyre not a u. S. Citizen clearly this is where Homeland Security should have a role to play in this. So once again do you know if hsi is part of the Permian Basin oilfield task force . Congressman i will have to find out i do not know the answers that specific question for. I think it would be important if they are not that they look into this. Once again interconnection how to use every lever at every tool and part of that if you pull someone over there not a u. S. Citizen, Homeland Security has a role to play meant to determine who is this person . Where they hear what you do with them . What im seeing now in some cases a local Law Enforcement will just release them there is no one to turn them over to you. You can see the train wreck coming a mile away we have apprehended someone who once again im not talking about all people im talking about a bad actor who would been apprehended committing a lowlevel crime or another crime and all the sudden a year later, a month later they commit a serious crime i want to get ahead of that i believe hsi was going to be a big part of working with the fbi and the local and state taskforces in order to get that done. I would ask you bring that to your attention. Energy is Critical Infrastructure it is important we protect that. I am seeing this grow. We went to this a year ago there were three that brought it up. Every county brought it up at everett sheriff i am talking to is bringing it up. I am seeing the threat grow for it im seeing it expand. My last question is on the increase in chinese nationals that we see. The numbers are astronomical. Specifically in california and some of those areas. And we have, in fact, made strides in the removal of chinese nationals who do not qualify for relief in the United States. I think there needs to be more of that and i think it needs to be more public. There needs to be more highlighting to have fact if you come illegally from china, we are going to send you back w. That i am going the yield back and i appreciate it. Gentleman yields. I now recognize the gentleman of new york for five minutes of question. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Mr. Secretary, i want to remind my colleagues you were a political refugee born in havana, cuba. Came to the United States of america, graduated from high school and became a prosecutor for nine years as assistant United States attorney, you were appointed to youngest u. S. Attorney and deputy secretary of Homeland Security and now you have achieved the position as secretary. I want to thank you for your Public Service to our country. Im new at congress. I just got elected in february and i was watching what was going on down here. You kind of tune it out a bit, all the back and forth and one of the things that ive talked about in my campaign and every problem we face in our country is complicated, nothing is simple and you cannot solve complicated problems in an environment of fear and anger where everybody is yelling and screaming at each other. Its impossible. You can never get to the meat and bones thats necessary and thats why i was excited by the senate bill, the bipartisan compromise that you worked on along with senator lankford and murphy and sinema and my colleagues, lets say they get everything they want. Lets say trump gets elected, i hope those things dont happen, but under no circumstances will they get enough votes in the senate to actually pass a bill. You will have to do something bipartisan under any circumstances. And you cant get a bipartisan bill under any circumstances unless people Work Together. So its great that we got more money for customs patrol border agent in 2024 appropriation and we got more detention beds but turned senate bill we would have gotten more custom and Border Patrol officers as well. And we would have gotten more detention beds and we would have gotten money for the wall and we would have gotten money for technology and we would have gotten money for a whole bunch of other things and there would have been serious policy changes so i just want to use my last half of my time to ask you, the thing im most interested in and excited about is this idea that we have to reduce the time it takes to adjudicate asylum cases. It seems like thats the most important thing we have to do because right now weve got all of these people, the crisis, so many people coming over the bored, seems like its calm for now, theyll be a surge now and the summer, but if people have to wait five, six, seven, eight years and get work permit thats going to encourage more people to come. If we can cut the period i think you said 90 days, i heard six months from other people, if we can cut period to adjudicate asylum cases of which 80 of the people will be denied asylum and many of whom will be then deported immediately, itll discourage other people from paying the coyotes. Can you explain to me to reduce the time, what is it going take from this body to reduce the time it takes to adjudicate the asylum cases from what is now years to a matter of months. Congressman, you are correct that reducing that would change the risk calculus of migrants. The Senate Bipartisan legislation would have delivery on that with changes to the system, policy changes to the system as well as ample resources for us to implement those fixes. Could you tell us some of the policy changes that would happen that would make asylum process, we have another 45 seconds, that would make asylum process happen more quickly because everybody when they get adjudicated 70, 80 are denied. We can stop that from happening. What are the policy changes . Raising the fear standard, shrinking disparity between that National Threshold screening standard and the ultimate merits standard. It also resourced congressman our system with 4300 asylum officers to adjudicate those cases much more swiftly. Well, i want thank you again for Public Service. Im saddened, its upsetting, its not productive. We have Serious Business to do. These are serious problems. We dont want people creating crimes and breaking the law. We have to Work Together to solve it. Gentleman yields. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Do we have a problem at the southern border . We certainly have a very significant challenge . Previously you characterized as not a crisis, are you going to say today that theres a crisis at the southern border . Congress i said repeatedly its a crisis and never minimized the severity regardless of words that are used. I appreciate the evolution with 200,000 fentanyl deaths, 1. 7 million noncitizens being parole intoed the country and migrant crises and multiple cities including new york city how grave is the crisis at the southern border. It requires solutions and i strongly support and urge congress to pass the senates bipartisan we will get into a moment, mr. Secretary. My colleague from the other side of the aisle from the county to my west mentioned how some solutions are complicated. And i find it disingenuous why its pointed as budgetary reasons and i want to talk about President Bidens policy choices specifically his executive orders were thed or rescinded. I think the clerk may have a copy of 64 different, we will get you, mr. Secretary, 64 different executive orders that President Biden issued that has either rolled back trumpera border policies that many agree are successful or implemented some that wrote sr. Made your job more difficult. There were 7. 6 million encounters at the southwest border. 200 in 20 less of a time. Should the department of Homeland Security endeavor to have less alien encounters at the southwest borders . In between ports of entry we are drive to go reduce the number of encounters, yes, indeed, we are. Congressman, the source of the challenge in new york city is varied. One source of that is a Public Officials decision to deliberately i reclaim my time, mr. Secretary. The question was does less encounters at the borders lead to less remain in mexico policy which President Biden announced he was rescind the remain in mexico policy. What do you think went through the mind of that migrant who now know if he or she made it to the southern border that they would be granted entry, more likely to be granted entry into the country. Congressman, i believe that the remain in mexico policy throughout its duration, i believe, and i will verify this approximately 70,000 migrants ran through it in the two years it was in operation. And so, i do not i think that you are overemphasizing let me ask you a different question about remain in mexico. Why do it, why repeal remain in mexico, what is the value of Border Security by repealing the policy . Congressman, it was not an effective policy. It was causing a tremendous amount of human tragedy south of our border and because it was bad policy it was rescinded. So your testimony the increase, the 200 increase of migrant encounters at the southwest border in 20 less time is because of covid . No, congressman. I have not testified to that. The situation and the reasons for it are quite worried. The fact of the matter the world is experiencing the greatest displacement of people since world war ii and our hemisphere is not spared that reality. Im going to reclaim my time. President biden should go back to successful trump border policy, hr2. Secretary, i appreciate your presence here today as i do millions of americans and members of this committee who are here seriously to do the work of the American People. First of all, speak the obvious since my colleagues want to attribute more money, more money to democrats, im proud of my legislation 32. 08 which has passed this committee, Cyber Workforce legislation that has been drafted and which the committee favorably reported in july it appears and would also address the question that mr. Gaberino is speaking about workforce issue if we would pass a number of legislative initiatives we might move you along further and this bill in particular talks about Cyber Workforce which is one of my very serious issues. Lets train them, lets give them internships or access and list put them to work. You did that, at least a portion of the battle where you would have staff that could begin working at Homeland Security. It is a place that i have heard people, are interested in working primarily to defend their nation, so lets see if we can do something constructive in this committee but i do want to address the question of dealing with the articles of impeachment, will follow and systematic refusal to comply with the law, its always difficult for someone to ask to detail failing, do you believe mr. Secretary that you have failed to comply with the law . And where would you do better in n complying with the law on behalf of the American People . Congresswoman, ive been in Public Service, i think, about 22 years. Ive taken the oath five times, maybe six. Ive adhere today the oath to which i have sworn and i have abided by the law each and every step of the way. When your question is asked over and over again and this is for the American People if youre still tuning in about whether the southern border is secure, they need that answer and i would ask the question as someone who believes that you do the best of what you have and you work hard and that we owe the American People the duty of a secured border, what more would you do if that was the question and the answer was that we need today do more, what more would you do to secure the border if you felt that was necessary and if you want today tell the American People this is what i needed to have . Congressman we are dealing with a fundamentally immigration broken immigration system and thats the fundamental problem and i would encourage congress to pass Bipartisan Legislation that would bring tremendously advancing reform to the broken immigration system and it would also resource our department to execute those reforms advantageously. It seems a simple proposition to me and throughout the entire questioning i hear no offering of a resolution by my friends on the other side of the aisle, theres absolutely nothing to answer the second article of impeachment, breach of public trust and that is that we know that congress has the power of impeachment and that you should be removed for the breaching of trust, then what is that breach, what is your belief is a breach of trust . Congresswoman, im not aware of any and let me assure you that i do not spend time on the impeachment proceedings. I focus my time extensively on the work of the Homeland Security. We do know that iran, for example, is a major proponent of terrorism and they decided to exercise that definition by bombarding israel with 300 of the missiles that they decide to use the drones that they decide to use against an ally for this horrible attack. What then would you give as an answer did we the United States generate an attack on israel, was that our doing . No it was not, congresswoman. We most certainly are. And you havent seen anybody stand up and resign and say im frightened, i do want to do this work, i dont want to protect the homeland, have you seen that occur today . I have not and people risk their lives every single day on behalf of our country, the oath in the department and other departments and, of course, in our branches of the military. The general ladys time has expired. General lady is not recognized. Theres no reason thank you. Secretary mayorkas, your open border policies has been clearly the administrations policies have emboldened countries like iran like attacks on israel. Can you tell me confidently that this committee that no current or former Iranian Revolutionary guard, Court Members or members of islamic terrorist organizations have been granted parole into the United States . Congressman let me assure you that an individual that poses threat to security is a priority for detention and removal. What about anyone from the Peoples Liberation army of the Chinese Communist party . Same answer, congressman. Mr. Secretary, i want to switch violation for americans on free speech. Four months ago the assistant secretary of cyber for dhs testified that the oversight subcommittee that i quote countering disinformation that threatens the homeland and providing the public with Accurate Information in response are critical to fulfilling dhs congressionally mandated missions, unquote, secretary mayorkas do you believe congress has given dhs the authority to use censorship to counter disinformation . Congressman, we do not censor censor free speech, we abide by the first amendment. I quote again, likely significantly encourage social media forms to content moderrizing decisions and thereby violating decision and did you know agency was pressuring social media form to censor americans . Congressman, no we do not censor speech. We do not pressure flat forms to do so and i believe the trial courts ruling was reversed in part by the appellate court, i cannot speak further because i believe the litigation continues. Foi show that dhs argued that agency has the authority to regulate misinformation and disinformation and malinformation however the content of these documents has been redacted. I question members regarding this and was not satisfied with the response so ill ask you, what Congressional Authority does dhs has in the mdm space . Oh, let me give you some reallife examples of the work that we do, congressman because im sure you will support it. When human smuggling organizations spread disinformation with respect to the policies of the department of Homeland Security we publish Accurate Information with respect to our policies. When criminal organizations domestically in the wake of a Natural Disaster spread disinformation to victims to have Natural Disaster to deceive them and fall prey, we provide Accurate Information with respect to what fima does and does not do. If you dont make it to the voting booth on tuesday, dont worry you can vote on wednesday, we actually communicate Accurate Information with respect to the election process in coordination with state and local officials. That is the work that we do and making sure they do not fall prey to criminals that do not seek to enforce the law. Mr. Secretary, is dhs able to touch each individual that nefarious actors are touching . And i respect what you just told us but my concern is and i hope this is happening but is dhs able to reach out all the bodies with the right information to oppose the negative information . We we seek to disseminate the Accurate Information as broadly as possible. Social media forms . We have web pages that disseminate and broadcast that and we use force multipliers, our state partners, state and local Law Enforcement, et cetera, congressman. Thats fine. I now recognize mr. Swawell. Mr. Secretary, welcome back and thank you and the men and women at your department for what they are doing during for this especially vulnerable time for the homeland. I know its probably not comfortable for you to have any of us reference to bring what speaker johnson brought to the floor but i want to get dates right, was it february 13th when speaker johnson was finally able to get the votes to impeach you . Was that the date . I dont i dont i think it was february 13th and by the way secondserve impeachment if we are using tennis analogy, the first one was a fault, they couldnt get the faults and in pickle ball you would have gotten one serve and that is it. Today its april 16th, so im not great at math but i think thats two months have the impeachment articles as we sit here today and sent over the senate for trial are you aware . I dont know whether something has occurred while i have before testifying before the committee congressman . I want to bring it up because we were told urgency, crisis at the border and we have to do this now and bring one of our colleagues suffering and going through cancer treatments and can be pivotal votes. Its been two months, two months and its still not over at the senate. I dont think its the urgency that we were told. It seems like it was more the former president wanted us to do this and so speaker johnson and we seemed to go wherever, border policy, funding ukraine. Its not really America First agenda, its me, me first when it comes to the former president and these guys get dragged along and thats why the articles as we sit here today have still not been sent over but i want to talk a little bit about disinformation, does russia or china or iran or venezuela have a right to free speech in our elections as you see it . Im not sure i understand your question. Well, americans have a right on social media forms to speak freely about our election but do you see adversaries as having a right to pollute our public forum when it comes to speech . Congressman, one of our one of the threat streams attacking the integrity of our elections is disinformation from adverse nation states that includes peoples republic of china, russia, iran and north korea. And i al find it interesting, you know, my colleagues some of them dont like that youre going after just information but one of the staffers provided with a july 11th, 2011 transcript in this room when the former President Donald Trump was president and you have a number of republican members who are arguing that that its actually disinformation thats the problem. You have multiple republican members saying that disinformation is our foreign adversaries tool of choice is mr. Rogers on this committee at the time said. Mr. Perry, we know mr. Perry from january 6th, he also goes into identifying foreign disinformation as being the problem, so, again, what we want the department to do is not to choose sides because we know our adversaries first and foremost they want chaos so they can go to their authoritarian states and say this is why democracy doesnt work and they are undermining it but would you say that when you look at disinformation and when you see disinformation that it doesnt have a Straight Line as far as benefiting one party or the other that our adversaries really more than anything really grateful and its not an easy place to sit and im confident that there will be a swift acquittal if it ever gets sents to the senate. I yield back. I now recognize the gentleman of new york for five minutes of questioning. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Mr. Secretary, thank you for being here this morning, now this afternoon. Have you heard hr2 . Congressman, its been a while since i had but i certainly reviewed the legislation. And any parts of hr2 that you agreed with . Congressman, id have to review it again. It was the most comprehensive Border Security bill that had passed out of the house of representatives in decades, youre the secretary of Homeland Security, youre not certain or sure of any of the items in that legislation that you would agree with . Congressman, let me assure you that i support the senates Bipartisan Legislation. Im not asking about the senates Bipartisan Legislation. Im asking about hr2. The only piece of Border Security legislation that has been passed through the house of representatives. We continue to talk about this Bipartisan Legislation, this magical legislation that has yet to make it out of the senate that doesnt have the support to make it out of that but we still have the administration, the secretary of Homeland Security telling us that we should support legislation that cant get passed. You dont remember any part of hr2 that you support . Congressman, i can share with you some of the grave im asking for the parts that you support because my point is that back in may House Republicans out of this committee passed hr2, the secure the border act. We sent it over to the senate. That should have begun the the negotiation. That should have been the starting point to secure our border. Ive heard colleagues on the other side of the aisle say that people in america are, quote, freaking out, that theres chaos, yes, people are freaking out. Yes, there is chaos because joe biden and the Homeland Security has left our borders wide open. Thats why people are freaking out and there is a solution. It was hr2. Do i agree with everything in there . Absolutely not. I would assume that you dont agree with a lot of things there either and democrats didnt agree with a lot of things but you know what it was the only piece of legislation that we actually have. Its the perfect starting point. So my colleagues on the other side who are talking about this magical piece of legislation, we have it, i hr2, so lets start there. Now im going to take it back home. So time after time this committee has listen today the devastating impact that the border crisis has, of course, because of the policies that have been implemented by you and President Biden. You have helped make every state a border state every county a border county and every city a border city including my home in new york. Now a democrat mayor who i dont agree with on everything but i agree with him on this, he said that, quote, this issue will destroy new york city. Now im proud to have served in the nypd as detective and its devastating to see the horrific challenges that Law Enforcement are faced with throughout this country. I mean, just recently we saw nypd cops who were attacked by Illegal Migrants who just got done robbing a target. Months ago we saw nypd officers brutally attacked in manhattan and were state of the union. We saw in the bronx recently where there was a 911 call made with a person with a gun when cops made their way into the bronx it was Illegal Migrants who had squatted there illegally and had illegal guns and illegal narcotics and then just says after in my district in Roosevelt Field mall, arrested by the National County Police Department and guess what the address that they gave, the home in the bronx where the guns and the narcotics were found. Can you tell me at what of the budget request would better support Law Enforcement . Congressman, quite a number of parts. The additional personnel request, the funding for additional Law Enforcement personnel in the department of homeland do you neglect in hr2 there was money in there for additional Law Enforcement . In addition, congressman, the the grant funds that we are seeking to distribute to state and local Law Enforcement through the Homeland Security grant program, the urban Area Security initiative and other programs. So everything that you just mentioned was part of hr2 . So it seems like you do know what you agree with in that legislation and to my point that is exactly where we should start. I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle lets work on this as americans, hr2 is our starting point. Gentlemans time expired. I now recognize ms. Clark from new york. We are grateful for that. I want to respond to a false allegation raised by some of my republican colleagues about noncitizens voting in federal elections. First of all, federal law all right prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections and theres absolutely zero evidence that theres significant violations of that law. Republicans efforts to make it harder to vote lowincome and minority voters and will do nothing to make our elections more secure. Instead we should focus on the real threats to our Election Security which include foreign interference efforts which i know secretary mayorkas is committed to addressing and additionally im deeply disturbed by congresswoman greens attack originally known as hebrew society. Baseless conspiracy theories, antisemitic murder of 11 individuals at the tree of synagogue in its during and disgraceful to see the same kind of misinformation repeated in this committee so i wanted that on the record. Mr. Secretary, last month sisa issued notice of proposed rule making for cyber recording and i congratulated on this important milestone. Vhs must redouble its efforts to harmonize incident rules across government. The departments Cyber Reporting council circ will play a Critical Role in that process. Secretary mayorkas issued a report containing recommendations regarding the harmonization cyber Incident Reporting last september, what actions has the ciirc taken to promote harmonization and what can they be doing to promote harmonization . Thank you very much for your question. We are working with federal departments and agencies across the administration to execute on the imperative of harmonizing reporting rules. Not only that, congresswoman, we are working with our International Partners so that harmonization would not be restrict today the domestic environment but the International Arena as well. Thats good news. As part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Congress provided 1 billion in grant to state and local and tribal to strengthen cyber defenses. This is based on Bipartisan Legislation i authored with my colleague on this committee. Unfortunately this funding expired in fy2025 which means they cut Cybersecurity Spending even as they continue today face serious cybersecurity threats. Its my hope that they would Work Together to extend the vital program. Secretary mayorkas, do you agree with me and state and local governments will continue to need federal support as they defend cyber interruptions and would you commit to working with me and this committee to reauthorize the state and local Cybersecurity Program . I do and i will. Wonderful. Mr. Secretary, just one other note of concern and thats with the nation of haiti. You should have received a letter, cced on the letter regarding the concern about individuals being returned at this stage who could be sentenced to harms way into famine and the myriad of challenges that that nation natn continues in this moment. The general lady yield . Yes, i will yield. Thank you very much. I wanted to follow your line of questioning very quickly which is very important line of questioning and that is to ensure that we get fixed with the secretary what is broken, sometimes we have equipment, technology that is not working correctly. Id like to submit into the record unanimous consent healthcare. Gov, planning and oversight processes underscore the need to improve contract management, will you continue to prove continue to access getting out equipment refunded or improved so that we can work with equipment that will help you do the job . Yes. So ordered and sent into the record. I thank you for yielding. Absolutely. I now recognize general lady ms. Lee from florida for five minutes of questioning. Secretary mayorkas i would to continue the discussion about cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and in specifically chemical Facility Program that is overseen by sisa. The cbap program, can you tell us how your budget continues to provide support for the cbap program . Congresswoman, i will have to remind myself of the specific funding for that program. That funding is very important and of course it has been in tremendous peril recently. It enables us to ensure that highrisk chemical facilities are as secure as they need to be. And would you agree that a continuation of that program is an important part of of the mission to protect Critical Infrastructure . I would, congresswoman. And would you also encourage friends ands partners over in the senate that would take up the bill and currently awaiting their consideration and action . Congresswoman, i look forward to reviewing that bill again but we do, indeed, consider the cbaps program to be very important. And i would like to then return to the subject of sisa and its role in elections infrastructure and help state and local officials to protect infrastructure specifically there could you describe what sisa does to state and local defend threats from foreign adversaries and domestic adversaries to that infrastructure . Congresswoman, one of the things we do is provide training with respect to the threat to be able to identify the threat. We share best practices, we have marked Election Security as one of the six Priority Areas in some of our Homeland Security Grant Programs to ensure that state and local jurisdictions devote needed resources to a fundamental need of our country and that is to safeguard the integrity of our election processes. And moving to the question of breaches and cyberattacks, what efforts is sisa making to bolster its own internal cybersecurity . I know they were victim to a recent cyberattack, can you describe for us the efforts internal to sisa on cybersecurity . Congresswoman, so that is a priority for the the president as a whole, our chief Information Officer and that team is consistently working day in and day out to enhance our security. In addition sisa works to enhance the cybersecurity of the federal civilian domain. It issues binding operational directives based on what it learns from particular incidents to ensure that agencies and departments are patching or protecting themselves against detected vulnerabilities. This is a very significant mission area of ours, the cybersecurity vector is not unfortunately diminishing. Related to hsi, i would like to go to that subject which you addressed earlier as it related to some transnational gang activities but specifically within your budget i would like to discuss hsi and related to Child Exploitation and help investigators combat Human Trafficking, does it not . Yes, it does. Would you explain for us the types of activities and roles that hsi takes specifically as it relates to exploitation and trafficking of children . Congresswoman, i named crimes of exploitation one of our six Mission Priorities in the departments history. Tomorrow i will be with hsi launching a new campaign against online sex Child Exploitation and abuse, this is a scourge not only nationwide but global in nature. More than 36 million tips were presented to enforcement authorities across the world, domestically more than 63,000 of them reflected eminent or great threat, the extent of this crime cannot be overstated. The work of hsi in combating it is heroic both in decimating, education and awareness and investigating the crimes and rescuing victims and holding perpetrators accountable. Thank you, mr. Chairman, i yield back. The general lady yields back. Good afternoon, mr. Secretary, my colleague have initiated the conversation that i wanted to have with you as well. Having discussions with hsi, dps out of the state of texas, one to have biggest issues they are confronted with ability to navigate aggregated data with criminals that are moving in the sex trafficking space. Are you comfortable with the amount of money that youre asking for in a cyber risk, cyber threat domain because two entity that is work very well together and my concern is that the right hand is not talking to the left. We need to expand the ability for our agents to process the data and the Budget Proposal is only 5 million for the new ai office, are you happy with that number . Congressman, we are pleased with receiving additional funding when it comes to crimes of exploitation i must tell you that if i add a wish list, the amount of money would be greater, the amount of personnel that we would dedicate to this would be greater. This scourge, this heinous crime is of extraordinary breath and depth of depravity and we work every day, it is remarkable what our personnel do to combat this with our state and local partners as well as our International Partners. This is one of the top issues that is raised when i am engaging in the International Arena with our partners as well as european colleagues. I hate to speak to the body itself but i think we are really hungry and have a good appetite for expansiveness of ai in this space. This is where im going to tell you to be hyperaggressive in order to save women and children that are in this problem set. Congresswoman congressman third time. I was hoping you werent going to do that. We go into the pronouns. Congressman, three strikes and im out. We are harnessing in the mission to combat Child Exploitation at the same time ai presents a risk because the perpetrators use it to advance their depraved criminality and so congressman, this is something that we are harnessing for good and fighting against bad. Thats where i was going earlier. Do we have the abilities to touch individuals that are being touched by bad actors, im hoping that we do. Aggressive problem set. Im going to roll right on you, to immigration, and the senate bill just give me latitude on this one. I think youre the 14th Homeland Security if i counted is that correct, youre number 14 . Im the seventh confirmed. Seventh confirmed. I dont know where i got 14. I think it was wikipedia, whatever. Okay. Mr. Hunter, secretary hunter was in front of border it is our job to pass legislation but subject Matter Experts in immigration live underneath your umbrella. I consider you, are you expert in immigration, sir . I certainly am admiring of those who know much more than i. My ask was and mr. Swawell and ramirez were in agreement with this, it seems that the frontline operators are the best to address the immigration issue and where the blockade is, where the choke point is. The Homeland Security department itself. Here is the problems and congress cant get anything done for the last 20 something years. We will submit it, this is the best course of action, has Homeland Security done that . There are two powerful examples. Number one on his first day in office, President Biden presented legislation to congress. Secondly i had the privilege and the honor of sitting bide the Bipartisan Group of senators who worked out a compromised that i urged congress to pass. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Yield back. The gentlemans time has expired. Secretary mayorkas, thank you for being here to speak on the fy25 president ial budget request. The president s budget request reflects the administration priorities, correct . It does, congressman . I would like to talk about the threats to homeland and dhs that we see according to your budget request. I was pleased last year that you acknowledged the threat that Unmanned Aircraft system posed at our southern border saying in part that, i quote, drones are being used in a myriad of ways and number of different ways to create a Public Safety risk, closed quote. You and i agree on this point. The cartels use the drones at the border and it is alarming from using them to track the movement of Border Patrol agencies to providing overwatched for human smuggling to transporting narcotics and outfitting them with the explosive payloads while for each drone that the cbp flies the Mexican Cartel flies 17 based on the last information i got. This issue hasnt improved since last year, in fact, last month in the Senate Hearing commander general gio testified that the number of drone incursions alarmed him saying that has, quote, talked to cbp who are responsible for uas incursions at the border and they put the number of incursions at thousands. He went onto say that he sees the potential of a threat posed by drones to the National Defense only growing. Secretary is counting the elicit use of drones at the border, priority for dhs and cbp. Congressman, certainly is. Very concerning and confusing to me this is your budget request for cbps counter uas program. You see it right behind me. Zero. Not one penny. Not one penny and the threat sun believable as the use of drones for bad actors in our borders evolve and continues to bring threat to homeland it is unconscionable that you wouldnt request a single penny for cbp to carry out uas mission, you requested zero, thousands of uab flights into u. S. Air space by Mexican Cartel have the weve got the ability to block, drop or intercept these drones moving on, i want to revisit the ice detention bed issue that my colleagues have mentioned today as illegal aliens continue to pour across the southern border your fy25 budget request funding for 34,000 ice beds half of the 60,000 beds requested by the Trump Administration in fy21. In may of 21 you testified in the house subcommittee hearing that you are, quote, concerned about the overuse of detention closed quote. Is it safe to presume that this is why you want to cut bed space and release illegal aliens on the streets of america . Congressman, it is not my desire to cut detention beds and i should say returning the uas authorities we are seeking to harness Artificial Intelligence to amplify the strength of our counter uas capabilities. I will tell you on the uas, we have the technology in huntsville policewoman where we can drop them, block them or intercept them. Its being used in ukraine and in israel, the only thing that capability you have to request it to make sure that it happens so i promise you, i hope that we can come to a reason because when those uavs are coming in to america setting down, dropping fentanyl, being stuffed full of cash and flying back to the Mexican Cartel it is totally unacceptable and i take your word that you are doing something about it. Congressman, the greater the detention capacity, the greater our ability to detain more people, the Bipartisan Senate legislation funded 50,000 detention beds and thats a powerful example. Thank you, mr. Secretary. Mr. Secretary, at the beginning of 2022 you testified to congress that you had operational control of the border, then the following hearings you backtracked to alter the definition of operational control, now in 2024 in a hearing last week you testified that we have a crisis at the southern border, are you finally admitting to what the American People have known to be true that your border policies dont work . Mr. Chairman, i yield back. I now recognize the gentleman from oklahoma. Ive minutes of questioning. I thank the chairman, mr. Secretary im really concerned about real id compliance. I want to shift the narrative to discus that which would be part of budget implementation, real id under your Administration Says by 2025 there would be compliance. It was designed, supposed to build confidence, identity of travelers post 911 to protect citizenry. Under your leadership of the department is going to start implementing this, transportation security administration, tsa will be prohibited from accepting drivers license and Identification Cards that dont meet certain standards, federal standards. You said that you continue to work closely with u. S. States to meet the real id requirements so here is where im going to take this. Ive heard from two Illinois State lawmakers that illegals in the states, they have verification are now able to complete drivers license. In illinois illegal aliens can get compliance drivers license and subsets on the website and required by the state of illinois as an option. It can be obtained by this illegal but it comes under the parole which is been something thats been implemented by you in this administration and so with that parole this employment authorization document box can be checked and in my opinion and i think most americans would say this totally undermines compliance given lack of background checks given to who these people are. Lack of information. You can do some background checks but you have responsibility to understand who these people really are. We dont. I think this is a glaring fault in the system and so im going to go to a quick question to you yes or no. Should illegal aliens get real id drivers license . Congressman, i look forward following up with you, thats been a program because i have a limited time, yes or no, should real id, should illegal aliens have the option in your opinion to get real id compliant drivers license . Congressman, i look forward to following you. I wished you had a no. Next question, should illegal aliens vote in illinois and new york are voting, should illegal it is my understanding that illegal aliens cannot vote in federal elections. Are they allowed to vote . The answer is yes in new york and in illinois they are allowed to vote and so whether its federal elections, my question to you a while ago, i love your answer, should they be allowed to vote . Congressman, the policy issue is outside of Homeland Security. I need to move on for time, im sorry. Mr. Secretary, you have continued that the entire quote, the entire hemisphere is gripped with a level of migration, you said in Opening Statement, i think this avoids accountability for the invasion of southern border and shifts the blame on random events but if that narrative is to be under or or followed, what are those events . I look around the world and i go to south america was there tsunami, was there a hurricane that i was not aware of but the answer is no. It ultimately, those who have the context to have wizard of oz, the wizard is standing tat microphone saying, disregard the man as the curtain is being pulled by the little dog, disregard the man standing behind the curtain pulling levers and spinning wheel. The migration is because theres an advertisement under this Administration Come in to this country, you know, i come from the sooner state in oklahoma. History designates legal in the 1880s. This was not for illegals. History will remember this time in the past 3 years as bidens run for illegals paid for by u. S. Taxpayers. Taxpayers are being asked to get the treasurer and the childrens treasure of the future for this. Once these people have a child theres Cash Payments on earned income tax credits, food stamps once they have a child, food stamps once they have a child again medicaid on top of the food stamps so here is where im going with this, does your budget propose which i will contend it does especially slush fund allow for dollars to two into countries so far as panama for nongovernment organizations to promote people coming to the country and telling men go north, go north. I now recognize mr. Crane from arizona for five minutes of questioning. Thank you, mr. Chairman. How weve been able wie margin that we have but we could all come together, look at the data, hear the stories in the district, listen to the family members that have been destroyed because of your dereliction of duty and we all agree you needed to be impeached. Indeed the lead could did you swear to defend and upend the constitution of the United States . You cited. How many times have you done that . I certainly can identify five. Are you aware of article four, section four . Do you know what that article is . More than five instances. Okay great. Article four, section four are you familiar . Since youre not going to answer its called the invasion clause. Do you know what it says . The federal government will protect and defend each state from invasion. Since you dont seem to be getting it, i have our staff bring up this graph. This is you, this is the last administration. Again, you, last administration. That looks like an invasion on the graph. Weve heard from the people that sat here and testified in the chambers of other family members being raped and murdered by people that were not supposed to be here and your administration allowed them to be here and didnt keep track. Tell me how you havent allowed in invasion into this country. Im incredibly proud to support the men and women of the department of Homeland Security and enforce the laws of the United States every single day many of whom risked their lives to secure despite your leadership yes they do and im proud to know many of them as well. They are great people but we all know what the morale is like in the Border Patrol right now and its horrible. I hear from Border Patrol agents every day. My question is how have you not violated your oath to protect and defend the constitution of the United States specifically article four, section four that says you as Homeland Security will protect each state from invasion, again you, last administration. How can you make that argument . I work every day to advance the security of the border and support the men and women in the department. You may be working every day but it seems as if you are working for the other side of the dial, and that is what the American People see and that is exactly why they supported us impeaching you and why you have so many members of this congress thats often divided to come together to impeach you. Let me ask you this question do you think our enemies are stupid . You can launch whatever falls into portable do you think the adversaries are stupid . The adversaries very in capability and we address the defense of the United States and interest of the United States accordingly. Know youre not, you are not doing that. As a matter of fact do you think it is possible some of the adversaries the most dangerous ones like the chinese, north korean north koreans might have unconventional what warfare through the southern border without a uniform, without firearms with instruction to wreak havoc in the country once they are here, once youve allowed them to be here do you think that is possible . Over the last 11 months we have removed or returned to 630,000 people more than any fiscal year since 2013. Bragging about how much youve returned but you dont want to brag about how many youve lived in, do you . Individuals who claim asylum are in enforcement proceedings and if they do not qualify for relief under our wall we seek to remove them. Thank you mr. Chair and i yield back. The members of the committee may have some additional questions for you, and we but ask that you respond to those in writing and i think that there were several that at the time kind of fell now i will let those members send those to you for you to follow up on. The hearing will be held open for ten days, and i think the Ranking Member has unanimous consent request and closing statements so i will let you do those together. Thank you mr. Chairman. I ask unanimous consent portions of the july 18, 2018 hearing transcript be inserted in the record. So ordered and you are recognized for your closing remarks. I would like to thank the secretary for agreeing to testify before the committee today despite these attacks against him. You have done what i consider a good job defending this Administration Given the strengths that you have to operate from in terms of resources. The secretarys willingness to appear in support to demonstrate his character as a truly dedicated Public Servant. I am not sure i can say the same thing for colleagues on the other side of the aisle who prefer ranting while steadfastly refusing to provide authority and resources the department needs. You cant have it both ways. You cant look at the dhs employees in the face and claim you support them when you refuse to put your vote where your mouth is yet this is exactly what my republican colleagues have done this entire congress. Its appalling. The dhs received funding for fiscal year 2024 due to overwhelming democratic support just like in 2023 yet republicans try to claim that it is you that is undermining Border Security. The hearing which was supposed to be about the dhs budget has become yet another make up order hearing. I did not hear one republican colleague raise concerns about whether they would have the funding needed to respond to and increasing number of National Disasters nor did they engage with the work to defend against legitimate threats to our 2024 election instead choosing to waste time drumming up sentiment with unfounded allegations nor did they want to discuss how the department is responding to domestic terrorist attacks that have left American Communities scared and outraged. My republican colleagues seem more interested in pretending to be outraged than doing the hard work of government. This is simply not the way to get things done. It takes complete and utter compromise like we saw in the senate where they drafted a bipartisan bill that would impose the toughest set of Border Security reforms. It tells the people all they need to know it would have helped President Biden. I appreciate your willingness to engage with this political circus and again advocate for the need of the department. The other thing i want to mention is that we didnt get to talk about ai. Tribal security is as you know within part of our mission we share with a couple other committees. Its a new frontier that we have to be front and center to defend all our systems so i look forward to working with the department on the defenses going forward. I want to assure you that its this committees value by some members of the committee. With that, mr. Chairman, i yield back. Closing statement. Before i start i would like to clarify a couple of things that have been addressed in todays hearing, and i will be brief, mr. Secretary. The fact that Immigration Laws havent been updated doesnt mean we dont get to follow the Immigration Laws on the books and i would agree with you we desperately need enough data to the Immigration Laws. Those dont occur in this committee. That actually happens over the judiciary. So i appreciate that needs to be addressed but that doesnt allow you variance of any kind. It doesnt excuse the violation of the law. Id also like to clarify something that is quite frankly dishonest at least disingenuous suggested because someone, or a group of this side of the aisle over the side of the aisle boats one way or another on the budget to increase Border Security. For example, if you vote against a budget that decreases the customs and Border Patrol and you turn around and vote for, it is dishonest to say that the cited that voted that way voted for the customs and Border Patrol. Weve heard that many times today. That is dishonesty. I guess that sells everybody the truth about whats going on. Another point i would like to clarify the impeachment hearings were two hearings. A ten month, five phase investigation of oversight with subpoenas that were never complied with. So this notion that there were two hearings is just pauls. In addressing Border Security, the process is Pretty Simple in the constitution and the rules and the house and the senate. We passed the bill and send it to the senate, they could amended and we go to the conference committee. We do that every year, the leadership in the senate if they really wanted to do something they would pick bill upset over the years ago. In terms of the Budget Discussion today in ai and all this other stuff, multiple members talk about this and i want to make sure i clarify because you dont get to say this happened and this happened and to tell the American People the people on the slide of the e aisle didnt talk about ai. Cybersecurity, you just, its somewhat infuriating people can Say Something thats not true and everyone is going to believe it so i want to correct the record on that. The 2025 budget request i think undermines the countrys ability to handle National Security. Now and i think this idea of cutting a slush fund that you get to decide on your own is contrary to sending it to you guys. That is what the founders envisioned so we are creating slush funds. Its just against the whole foundation of the constitution. Thats why things like that arent supported in this budget but others that get voted on on authorizations. Underfunding in the facilities i think is going to result in an increased flow of migrants across the border when we catch and release and do those kind of things it is motivation. People come because it is an incentive to come. Thats why its important for us not to see cuts to those. We know a lot of the dollars are going to do nothing but continue the policies that youve been doing which is ushering more people in. The interesting number to me if you look at the curve on the got a ways as you pull people off the border in the process, the got away number decreases a little bit because they are not out there to see the known got a ways so they dont see them because they are not out on the border. They are processing people, so that unknown number increases massively. Thats the speculation on my part, is good common sense. They have no clue how big it is that we brought it in many times and have shown the videos from ranchers where folks are wearing camouflage. Youve seen im sure mr. Sec. Theyve been piled up to arizona just inside of the border. The backpacks which we know are full of fentanyl. During your tenure a Record Number crossed into the country, too many of whom have connections, many of whom have connections with criminal organizations. Youre from california originally. The good reporting on how the cartels have linked up in San Francisco and created this nexus is shocking, and it all happened on your watch. Most recently of course, and its been mentioned here and illegal alien murdered a College Student burgled by your department in the country and left a trial of crime in his path. One of thousands that have been murdered revelries victimized. The most gut wrenching part is that it could have been prevented if you and your administration had chosen to enforce the laws on the books simply because they were not followed. A number of known got a ways we talked about already, the number trailed off because we are not looking anymore. I dont want to imagine that a number it just scares me to death. He talked about that when he was here testifying. You claim it will address the issues but if we look at the numbers it doesnt add up to 350 new Border Patrol agents. Thats why all the authorizations weve sent over have been significantly higher than that despite whats been said here today. Others like to misrepresent what really happened. When you testify in the senate and senator ouppercaseletter asks how you will reach your goals you could give a sizable number but the truth is morale at dhs is at an alltime low because the working conditions these are your policies that have created that. Weve been committed to providing strong oversight to the department most importantly the actions youve taken as a leader. Weve investigated the policies and failures. We look forward and hope we can Work Together on those issues i mentioned beginning with cybersecurity ports, vulnerability of the supply chain. A lot of those areas we do agree on and where there is overlap and we do agree we move those things forward as quickly as we can so i look forward to doing that with you and your team. The committee is focused on strengthening the Cyber Workforce and i have a bill i personally am helping put together and we will get a copy of it to make sure she gets all i is on it and others from your department will want your help on that. That ends my comments for the day and i think you for coming and understand the emotions of being here today. Without objection the committee stands adjourned. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations]