Bi-Partisan Group of Representatives Puts Forward "Defending Borders, Defending Democracy Act"
"Will we continue to carry the torch for democracy, or will we be the ones who drop it? "
By Denise Rivette
Five Republican and five Democrat members of the U.S. House of Representatives penned a letter to their colleagues asking them to come together and support H.R. 7372, the Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act. According to the letter, “This legislation provides, for one-year, the necessary authorities to secure the U.S. border and defense-only appropriations to support Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.” The ten representatives went on to lay out their case for supporting the bill and provided a summary of the bill.
The organization No Labels (which recently secured a spot on the November ballot in Montana although it has not yet named candidates) obtained a copy of the letter and shared it along with a plea to support the efforts of the ten representatives as they work to put together a passable bill that provides for both the security of our immediate border as well as the defense of our allies. Ryan Clancy of No Labels wrote, “A few courageous members of Congress are making a last-ditch effort to prevent America from destroying itself. It’s time for the No Labels movement to get behind these problem solvers and support them with everything we’ve got.” They went on to ask citizens “to send an unambiguous message to House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has the sole authority to put this proposal up for a vote. LET THEM VOTE on the bill. CALL SPEAKER JOHNSON AT 202-225-2777”
Quotes from the letter:
“Congress is responsible for making the laws that govern our borders, providing resources to enforce those laws, and overseeing the federal agencies responsible for enforcement. It is a mistake to defer our responsibility to the Executive Branch, and the crisis at the border is too great to wait more than eight months for the outcome of an election. We can fulfill our duties by passing this bill to restore expulsion authority and by amending the Immigration and Nationality Act to make “Remain in Mexico” a requirement, not an option. These two policies would empower the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to reassert order and control at our border.”
“While our responsibility to protect American interests and democracy is great, so too is our duty to be mindful of America’s resources. That is why our bill narrows prior foreign aid proposals to critical military essentials for Ukraine and Israel. The international community has the will and resources to provide important humanitarian assistance to both Ukraine and Gaza, and the United States should offer to aid in the logistics of its delivery as necessary.”
“We cannot turn our backs on the Ukrainian people as they fight and die by the tens of thousands to preserve their democracy and sovereignty. They have proven that when equipped with American arms and ammunition, they can win this struggle. We know that without them, they may fail.”
“Sixty-three years ago, at the height of the Cold War, President Kennedy committed the strength of the United States ‘to assure the survival and success of liberty’ at home and abroad. This Congress must decide: Will we continue to carry the torch for democracy, or will we be the ones who drop it? We believe it would be a grave mistake for America to leave our allies in the fight for democracy against common enemies to fend for themselves”