Joyce Remarks at FY25 Budget Hearing For The Department Of Homeland Security (As Prepared)

Welcome Secretary Mayorkas. I sincerely thank you for joining us to discuss the Department’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget request.While it is very clear that we have profound differences of opinion on how the Department should be run, and what policies should be in place, especially as it relates to border security and immigration enforcement, I would ask Members on both sides to keep today’s discussion civil, and focused on the work we need to do as appropriators to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

Additionally, on behalf of the Committee, I would like to convey my sincere appreciation for the tireless, and often thankless, work done by the men and women of DHS on a daily basis. Turning our attention to the Fiscal Year 2025 budget request, this proposal, nearly identical to last year’s request, is unfortunately more disappointing than it is promising. This budget is not only full of gimmicks that mask the true cost of protecting the Homeland, but it also fails to address the policy-driven crisis that continues at the border.

For over three years we have seen skyrocketing illegal immigration at our borders. And every corner of the country can see and feel its impact. The American people know that the border is not secure; it is a full-blown crisis that this Administration has sought to downplay for years. While recently their messaging has changed as the 2024 election nears, this budget shows those are just empty words. This request is not serious if the goal is to actually fix the problem and secure the border.

Does the request ask for enough resources to remove more than 1.3 million aliens on the non-detained docket whose cases have already been adjudicated and no longer have a legal basis to remain in this country? Or for an appropriate level of detention beds to detain aliens who pose a national security or public safety risk? No, this Administration instead asks for 7,500 beds less than the level Congress funded for FY 2024. Does the request ask for policy changes that would help our agents and officers and deter the mass migration we’ve seen under this Administration? No, it does not. Does the request ask for additional funding for border barriers? Again, the answer is no.

Instead of building the wall, this Administration has wasted every dime it legally could on environmental remediation efforts to clean up the mess it made when it cancelled wall contracts in the first place. Well, what does this Administration ask for? A $4.7-billion-dollar Southwest Border Contingency Fund that exceeds the caps established by the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

This slush fund, also proposed last year, was rejected on a bipartisan basis because Republicans and Democrats alike recognized that giving this Department billions of dollars with very little Congressional oversight and no incentive to change course would likely exacerbate the current migration crisis. Again, this Administration’s approach to the border is just to manage the chaos – a position all fair-minded Americans reject. Decreasing detention capacity has not worked. Abusing the parole system has not worked. Catch and release has not worked. Executive orders that impede immigration enforcement have not worked.

Border security operators have been clear – without quick and decisive consequences, the illegal flow will continue unabated. The daily number of migrant encounters are still well above 5,000 a day, despite every single policy this Administration has tried. The President implemented many of the policies that have contributed to this crisis with the stroke of a pen, and he could reverse them if he so chooses.

It is our job as appropriators to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars and ensure we are not wasting money doing more of the same and expecting a different result. I look forward to working with you and the Department to seek actual solutions to address the border security crisis at hand and to combat the many threats facing the homeland.