Open Borders Cause Tragedy in West Michigan

Sadly, last Friday, a body was found along 131 near Leonard Street in Grand Rapids.  The victim has been identified as Ruby Garcia. It has been confirmed that the suspect in Ruby’s murder was deported in September of 2020. The suspect then made his way back to Michigan by illegally returning to the United States.

Ruby’s death could have been prevented. This tragic loss of life demonstrates that every community is susceptible to the consequences of the Biden Administration’s open border policies.

President Biden can act right now by using the same executive action to improve border security that he used to open the border when he first came into office. I believe a more effective and lasting course of action would be for the President to work with House Republicans to implement the solutions included in H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act.

No family and no community should have another innocent life taken by an individual that is illegally in the United States. I will continue to monitor this situation closely and offer my sincere condolences and prayers to Ruby’s family and friends.

Reprioritizing Government Funding

Last week, Congress finalized appropriations for the 2024 fiscal year. This bill was very far from perfect but included some important policy improvements. I am convinced that if Republicans had stuck together at the start of this funding debate, we would have secured a better agreement.

Considering we are five months into the fiscal year, it was important to pass this legislation to end Nancy Pelosi’s spending priorities, deliver the largest troop pay raise in more than 20 years, and increase the manpower, technology, and resources that are desperately needed to improve our border security.

Importantly, this legislation includes support for Israel, reduces IRS funding by $20.2 billion, claws back $6.4 billion in unused COVID funds, streamlines the State and Foreign Operations Budget by 6% over FY 23, prevents CRT from being taught in our military, and ensures only the American flag is flown over U.S. diplomatic facilities. 

With Democrats in control of both the Senate and the White House, if Republicans are going to continue to make progress in getting our nation’s fiscal house in order, we must stick together.

Assessing the Biden Administration’s Withdrawal from Afghanistan

The horrors of Americans and their loved ones trying to leave Afghanistan are real. These immense challenges were made worse by the Biden Administration’s catastrophic withdrawal. To this day, there has been zero accountability for the decisions that left 13 American servicemembers dead with countless others critically wounded. When the final plane left on August 31, 2021, more than 1,000 American citizens and tens of thousands of Afghan allies, who risked their lives beside our troops, remained trapped.

During a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on the Biden Administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, I shared a story of a constituent, who was able to utilize the Afghan SIV program due to his service with the US military. His wife was less fortunate and unable to get out. Her identification documents were destroyed in the US Embassy evacuation, and she was beaten multiple times by the Taliban during her attempts to leave. On a final attempt, she was critically wounded by the bomb at Abbey Gate. After nearly 3 years of hardship, she was finally reunited with her husband here in West Michigan earlier this month.

The 2024 Congressional Art Competition

Congratulations to Nora O’Neill, a student at Portage Central High School, on winning the 2024 Congressional Art Competition. Her work From Garden to Table will now hang in the U.S. Capitol for the next year. 

From Garden to Table is a standout work of art that demonstrates Nora’s command of oil painting, and I can't wait for the thousands of visitors who visit the Capitol from around the world to see it.

Nora is pictured below with her winning piece. The top 10 pieces submitted by local student artists are available to view online here.