See below for an excellent thread by Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA07), explaining that Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s “plan to cut the Department of Homeland Security’s funding by 22% would mean less secure borders and ports of entry. That’s just the reality.” As “a former federal agent & CIA officer who worked narcotics cases and tracked cartels,” Rep. Spanberger is very knowledgeable about what this could lead to:
- “Under this proposal, DHS projects a loss of more than 56,000 hours (!) of aircraft patrols and boat patrols along America’s borders. That would mean the loss of tens of thousands of apprehensions — as well as more drug traffickers & human smugglers getting into the country.”
- “This cut would also mean fewer Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and Border Patrol agents to keep America safe. And a potential hiring freeze — at a time when these law enforcement personnel are already stretched thin — would make a bad situation far worse.”
- “DHS estimates that this loss of funding would mean more than 150,000 pounds of cocaine, 17,000 pounds of meth, and 850 pounds of fentanyl (which is a tiny substance with extreme potency) evading seizure.”
- “Speaker McCarthy’s plan is not a smart strategy when fentanyl and other illicit drugs are killing more Americans each and every day. And his plan will do nothing to clear immigration backlogs, help those in crisis, or improve our technologies that detect drugs.”
In sum, McCarthy’s plan would “would be a win for cartels, smugglers, and those who want to see a weaker America.” Not to mention the fact that he’s risking a default on the debt, which could have catastrophic repercussions for the economy. Yet again, a lesson that many people just won’t learn, namely DON’T EVER PUT REPUBLICANS IN CHARGE!
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