YESTERDAY.
WATCH THIS.
>> WE ARE NOW IN A SITUATION
THAT WE’VE NEVER BEEN AT BEFORE
AND IT’S TIME.
IT’S TIME THAT THE PRESIDENT
ANNOUNCED A DECLARATION OF
NATIONAL EMERGENCY.
MARIA: YEAH, THE MAYOR ALSO
ANNOUNCED BORDER PATROL AGENTS
WILL RELEASE NEARLY 150 MIGRANTS
INTO LOCAL COMMUNITIES TODAY
SAYING THAT THEY’VE GONE THROUGH
A VETTING PROCESS AND THEY’LL BE
RELEASED INTO THE ENVIRONMENT
NOW.
JOINING ME IS ARIZONA
CONGRESSWOMAN, MEMBER OF THE
HOUSE ENERGY AND COMMERCE
COMMITTEE AND HOUSE BORDER
SECURITY CAUCUS, DEBBIE LESKO IS
HERE.
HOW DO ASSESS WHAT’S GOING ON AT
THE BORDER RIGHT NOW?
>> WELL, IT WAS ALREADY A
CRISIS.
I’VE BEEN TO THE BORDER MULTIPLE
TIMES, TALKED TO THE BORDER
PATROL OFFICERS AND THE LOCAL
ELECTED OFFICIALS A ALONG THE
ARIZONA BORDER MULTIPLE TIMES I
YOU WAS A CRISIS BEFORE AND NOW
WHAT THAT TITLE 42 IS EXPIRED,
IT’S JUST GOING TO BE WORSE.
I MEAN, THIS IS A NATIONAL
SECURITY CRISIS BUT IT’S ALSO A
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS BECAUSE THE
BORDER PATROL OFFICERS HAVE TOLD
ME THESE YOUNG GIRLS ARE BEING
SOLD INTO SEX SLAVERY.
THEY’RE NOT VETTING THE ADOTTLE
THEY’RE SENDING UNACCOMPANIED
CHILDREN TO.
THIS IS JUST AWFUL AND THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION AND QUITE FRANKLY
THE DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS ARE
COMPLICIT IN THIS.
MARIA: WHAT SHOULD THE
ADMINISTRATION DO NOW, IF
ANYTHING?
WHAT CAN THEY DO TO FIX THIS?
>> OR IS IT TOO LATE.
>> THEY SHOULD SIGN THE BORDER
SECURE BILL THAT THE REPUBLICANS
HOUSE OUT OF THE U.S. HOUSE
YESTERDAY.
THAT WOULD FIX THE PROBLEMS.
IT INSTITUTED A LOT OF THINGS
THAT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
DID LIKE REMAIN IN MEXICO
POLICY, STOP CATCH AND RELEASE,
E-VERIFY FOR WORKERS AND
EMPLOYERS.
IT STARTED BUILDING THE FENCE
AGAIN.
I MEAN, JUST COMMON SENSE THINGS
THAT WORKED UNDER THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION.
WE PASSED THAT YESTERDAY OUT OF
THE U.S. HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES AND SO, YOU
KNOW, IF THE SENATE PASSED IT
AND THE PRESIDENT SIGNED IT, IT
WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
REPUBLICANS HAVE A SOLUTION.
MARIA: WELL, I MEAN, LOOK,
LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT AND WHAT
YOU HEARD DURING THAT BORDER
SECURITY BILL PASSING YESTERDAY.
I KNOW THAT THE REPUBLICANS
PASSED A BORDER SECURITY BILL
BUT WHAT DID YOU HEAR ON THE
OTHER SIDE FROM DEMOCRATS?
DHS SECRETARY ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS
SAYS THAT THE ENTIRE BORDER
CRISIS IS CONGRESS’ FAULT.
WATCH THIS.
>> OUR CURRENT SITUATION IS THE
OUTCOME OF CONGRESS LEAVING A
BROKEN, OUTDATED IMMIGRATION SIS
HE TESTIMONY-- SYSTEM IN PLACE F
DECADES.
IT IS ALSO THE RESULT OF
CONGRESS’ DECISION NOT TO
PROVIDE US WITH THE RESOURCES WE
NEED AND THAT WE REQUESTED.
MARIA: HE IS TALKING ABOUT THE
LAST TWO DECADES, CONGRESSWOMAN,
NO WORD ON WHY THINGS HAVE GOT
PEN SO MUCH WORSE JUST IN THE
LAST TWO YEARS ON JOE BIDEN’S
WATCH.
THEY’RE BLAMING YOU AND YOUR
COLLEAGUES.
>> WELL, THEY’RE ABSOLUTELY
FALSE.
WHAT I POINT OUD OUTED OUT ON TH
OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES YESTERDAY IS IN
THE LAST TWO YEARS THEY HAD
TOTAL CONTROL OVER THE U.S.
HOUSE, THE U.S. SENATE AND THE
U.S. PRESIDENCY AND THEY DID
NOTHING, NOTHING TO SECURE THE
BORDER.
SO I DON’T WANT TO HEAR FROM
THEM HOW WE WE SHOULD WORK WITH
THEM FOR A COMPREHENSIVE
IMMIGRATION REFORM.
THEY HAD TWO YEARS, TOTAL
CONTROL TO DO SOMETHING.
THEY DID NOTHING.
I BELIEVE THEY WANT AN OPEN
BORDER, ALL OF THEIR POLICIES
LEAD TO IT.
PRESIDENT BIDEN AND DAY ONE
STOPPED CONSTRUCTION OF THE
BORDER FENCE, HE UNDID THE GOOD
POLICIES THAT HAPPENED DURING
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION THAT
CURTAILED ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.
THEY WANT OPEN BORDERS.
MARIA: YEAH.
WELL, IT CERTAINLY AAPPEARS THAT
WAY.
THEY ALSO HAVEN’T BEEN DOING
ANYTHING ABOUT THE DEBT CEILING.
PRESIDENT BIDEN AND HOUSE
SPEAKER KEVIN McCARTHY
POSTPONING THEIR DEBT LIMIT
TALKS.
THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN
TODAY.
McCARTHY SAYS IT’S BECAUSE THE
WHITE HOUSE IS NOT BUDGING.
A NEW REPORT SUGGESTS THE FINAL
DEBT DEAL COULD INCLUDE AN
AGREEMENT ON SPEEDING UP PERMITS
FOR ENERGY PROJECTS,
CONGRESSWOMAN.
IS THAT IN THE CARDS?
>> WELL, I SURE HOPE SO BECAUSE
IT’S GREATLY NEEDED.
THE ENERGY POLICY THAT THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION HAS, ALL THE
AGENT I SIGHS ARE -- AGENCIES
ARE OVER-REGULATING.
WE’RE GOING TO HAVE GRID
UNRELIABILITY.
WE WON’T HAVE ELECTRICITY WHEN
WE TURN ON THE LIGHTS IF WE
CONTINUE WITH THEIR POLICIES.
PERMITS ARE TAKING YEARS AND
YEARS AND YEARS TO GET FOR NEW
ENERGY PRODUCTS SO EVEN --
PROJECTS.
EVEN THE DEMOCRATS NOW SAY WE
NEED PERMIT REFORM BECAUSE THEY
WANT THEIR GREEN NEW DEAL ENERGY
PROJECTS TO GET DONE.
THEY SEE THAT THE PERMITTING IS
TAKING TOO LONG FOR WIND AND
SOLAR SO NOW THEY’RE ON BOARD
FOR PERMITTING REFORM AND OF
COURSE JOE MANCHIN WANTS IT FOR
ALL THE BASE LOAD ENERGY TOO
THAT’S IN HIS STATE.
SO I’M IN AGREEMENT WITH
PERMITTING REFORM AND WE REALLY
NEED TO CURTAIL GOVERNMENT
SPENDING LIKE THE REPUBLICANS
DID IN THE DEBT CEILING BILL
BECAUSE IT’S UNSUSTAINABLE.
THE INTEREST PAYMENT WE’RE
PAYING ON NATIONAL DEBT IS GOING
TO SURPASS OUR ENTIRE BUDGET FOR
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SOON IF WE
DON’T GET THIS UNDER CONTROL.
MARIA: WELL, THERE’S A PIECE IN
THE JOURNAL ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT
OF DEFENSE AND THE WORRY OVER
THIS STALEMATE IN TERMS OF THE
MILITARY CONTRACTORS, ARE THEY
GOING TO GET FUNDED.
I MEAN, WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON
THAT?
>> WELL, THE REPUBLICANS HAVE
DONE THE RESPONSIBLE THING.
WE’VE BEEN THE ADULTS IN THE
ROOM AND WE PASSED A RESPONSIBLE
BILL THAT JUST FUNDS --
CONTINUOUS FUNDING AT THE FISCAL
YEAR 2022 LEVELS WHICH WAS JUST
A FEW MONTHS AGO AND IT’S QUITE
FRANKLY A HIGH SPENDING LEVEL
BECAUSE OF ALL THE COVID FUNDING
THAT WAS IN IT.
AND THEN WE WILL INCREASE THE
FUNDING BY 1% PER YEAR FOR
DISCRETIONARY SPENDING SO THAT’S
RESPONSIBLE.
THAT’S WHAT U.S. TAXPAYER
DOLLARS WAND ’ WANT AND SO BIDEN
NEEDS TO GO ALONG WITH IT IN THE
SENATE.
WHETHER HE DOES OR NOT, I DON’T
KNOW.
BUT WE ARE PUSHING FORWARD.
REPUBLICANS IN THE HOUSE ARE
GETTING THE JOB DONE.
MARIA: ALL RIGHT.
WE’LL BE WATCHING ALL OF THAT,
CONGRESSWOMAN.
GOOD TO SEE YOU THIS MORNING.