Stop Obama's Executive Amnesty
Floor Speech
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Mr. LOUDERMILK. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate all of the comments that have been made here today. As you can tell, this is not a party issue. This is not about Republicans or Democrats or conservatives. This is about our Constitution. This is about American principles and the rule of law, but, more importantly, it is about fairness. It is about the American Dream. It is about those who are working hard every day. It is about the children and our future.
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Mr. LOUDERMILK. I thank my good friend from the Grand Canyon State. No truer words have ever been spoken.
Mr. Speaker, many of us sat in this very room back in January, and we listened to the President as he gave his State of the Union Address. He outlined a complete program, from the cradle to the grave, of what government would do--take over the rights of individuals. Many of us heard from citizens across the Nation that they were opposed to that. Mr. Speaker, if we allow this President to continue on legislating from the Oval Office, I would submit there is nothing standing in the way for him to implement every one of his plans.
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Mr. LOUDERMILK. Mr. Speaker, as you can see, this is a very passionate issue for many of us--not just because of politics but because this is about the heart of our Nation. This is the basis, the foundation of our Nation.
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Mr. LOUDERMILK. Again, Mr. Speaker, you can see that Representatives from all across the Nation have stood here today and represented the people of this Nation on how important this issue is.
Mr. Speaker, we live in one of the most dangerous times in American history. Innocent American citizens are targeted by extreme Islamic terrorists at home and around the world.
On September 11, 2001, even the sanctity of our homeland was proven to be vulnerable. And now, an organization considered too evil and too extreme by other terrorist organizations is calling for homegrown terrorists to carry out unspeakable acts of violence against innocent Americans--acts which we have witnessed in the past year.
Since 2001, there have been more than 60 coordinated terrorist plots against Americans on American soil. These perpetrators of evil planned to execute their violence in the places where innocent civilians live, work, and play. They have targeted civilians on aircraft, at military installations, mass gatherings of citizens, sporting activities, restaurants, and shopping malls--the very places where Americans should expect to feel safe and secure.
However, the current administration continues to deny the ideology that motivates these acts of evil. When a known sympathizer to terrorist organizations chooses to carry out his evil acts against coworkers, it is passed off as workplace violence. When our Embassy in Benghazi was invaded and officials of the United States Government were slain at the hands of known terrorists, it was spun as a violent response to a YouTube video.
When a military pilot of an allied country was murdered in the most horrific and painful way, the President referred to the perpetrators as a cult of death, not extremist Islamic terrorists.
With the rise and the expansion of ISIS, our citizens, military, and first responders are in more danger than ever before, and we must be vigilant to protect our citizens and our national interests.
Following the terrorist attacks of Ð9/11, our government recognized that the threat of organized and well-planned acts by international terrorist organizations required new and dedicated resources to protect American citizens. In response, the Department of Homeland Security was created, and resources were allocated by Congress to protect our homeland from future devastating acts of terrorism.
Since the turn of the century, terrorists have plotted over 60 attacks against our Nation. Thankfully, more than 50 of these were thwarted by U.S. law enforcement and our intelligence community, while others were stopped with the cooperation of law enforcement from other nations.
In the past several months, the threat against America has grown exponentially. ISIS is one of the most well-funded, the most organized, the best armed, and the most ruthless terrorist organization in the history of the world.
Even al Qaeda, which planned and executed the most devastating attack on American soil since the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, pales in comparison to the organization and resources of ISIS.
Recently, ISIS has expanded well beyond traditional communication tactics used by other terrorist organizations and has engaged in an effective Internet and social media campaign to recruit foreign fighters to join their ranks. They are purposefully, Mr. Speaker, targeting our youth by using popular video games to appeal to thrill seekers. They are promising that these young people can live out the fantasy world that they experience in their games.
Today, we are experiencing what may be the largest convergence of terrorist activity in history. As a result of the growth and the recruitment of ISIS, foreign fighters are swarming to Syria to join the ranks of the international jihad.
While it is virtually impossible to stop every act of terrorism against Americans, I believe the Department of Homeland Security, our military, and law enforcement agencies have done an exceptional job. However, we are only days away from the current funding of the Department of Homeland Security expiring, which, even according to this administration, could put us at grave risk.
During the first week of this 114th Congress, the House of Representatives took quick and decisive action to ensure that the Department of Homeland Security will continue to function at full capacity. We passed a funding measure that would ensure that all public safety functions within the Department are fully funded so that the agency can fulfill its mission.
Unfortunately, a few Senate Democrats are filibustering this bill and are keeping it from even coming to the floor for consideration. The Democratic Party is putting our national security at risk through their insistence that the President be able to grant 5 million illegal aliens legal status so they can receive work permits, tax refunds, and public assistance.
The President's recent executive order on amnesty places the safety of every citizen in jeopardy and eliminates job opportunities for hardworking Americans. At a time when millions of Americans are struggling simply to make ends meet, the President should be focused on providing American jobs, not introducing millions of new laborers into the workforce. Since the President assumed office, he has already issued almost 5.5 million work permits to foreign laborers.
The Senate now has the perfect opportunity to protect the safety of all Americans by approving House Resolution 240, a bill that would defund the President's executive order on amnesty, yet they refuse to take up this commonsense measure and do what is right for the American people. By not taking action, the Senate is relinquishing control to the President to continue carrying out these actions without the consent of Congress.
Today, my office and the office of every Member of Congress received a formal request from the White House to authorize the President to use military force to fight against ISIS. It is ironic that, on one hand, the President is asking to send our young men and women overseas to fight against terrorism but, on the other hand, he and Senate Democrats are willing to put our security at risk at home so he can, without constitutional authority, saturate the American workforce with foreign labor who have entered this Nation illegally.
Instead of working to strengthen our economy and secure our jobs for American citizens, the President seems to be more concerned with providing jobs for illegal immigrants.
He has even threatened to veto the Keystone pipeline, a bill that we just passed here just a couple of hours ago. He has already threatened that he is going to veto this bill with one stroke of his pen, a bill that would create more than 40,000 jobs; but with another, he is willing to add 5 million illegal immigrants to an already struggling job market.
Mr. President, the American people are hurting. Many families are spending countless hours around the kitchen table discussing how to pay their bills and live within their means. These families should not have to compete for jobs with those who are not legal U.S. citizens.
The American people should be calling on the Democrats in the Senate to stop their filibuster of H.R. 240. It is time for the President, Mr. Speaker, and Members of the Senate to put the American people first and help hardworking Americans find jobs.
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