'The Most Incompetent And Disgraceful Record Imaginable': Tom Tiffany Shreds Biden's Border Policies

11 hours ago

During a House Natural Resources Committee hearing prior to the congressional recess, Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) spoke about the border policies of the Biden Administration.

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Transcript

00:00I'll now recognize myself for an opening statement.

00:04Morning, sir.

00:05First of all, I want to begin by commending Representative Siskimani for both the timeliness

00:13and the importance of the legislation he has brought before us today.

00:17As has been widely reported, the Biden-Harris administration has compiled the most incompetent

00:22and disgraceful record imaginable when it comes to the protection of our southern border.

00:27Although President Biden is no longer in office, the country is still reeling from

00:31his damaging and disgraceful open border policies.

00:34Under the former president's watch, immigration authorities recorded more than 8.7 million

00:39encounters with illegal immigrants crossing into the United States from Mexico.

00:44This unprecedented surge overwhelmed America's response capabilities and created a confluence

00:49of security, environmental, and humanitarian crises.

00:54Thankfully, President Trump is taking strong and decisive action to end this crisis.

00:59But Congress must also do its part.

01:02We must create robust safeguards to ensure that this kind of reckless damage can never

01:07again be inflicted by an irresponsible president.

01:11Recognizing this duty, my colleague from Arizona, Representative Siskimani, has presented the

01:15thoughtful legislative package before us today.

01:18His bill empowers Border Patrol and local law enforcement to protect those areas that

01:22were left especially exposed and vulnerable by the Biden administration, our southern

01:28federal border lands.

01:30Approximately 35% of the southern border is federally owned, so the conditions that prevail

01:35in those areas have a significant influence on overall border security.

01:40And the large-scale illegal migration that has occurred in those regions has also destroyed

01:46fragile ecosystems.

01:48The facts are unambiguous.

01:50State governments – and we must rely on state estimates, since federal agencies refuse

01:55to gather meaningful data – have calculated that each illegal migrant leaves behind an

02:00estimated 6 to 8 pounds of trash during their journey across the border.

02:05With more than 2.1 million encounters with illegal entrants last year, it's likely

02:10that illegal immigrants left a minimum of 12 million pounds of trash in 2024 alone.

02:16Worse still, this environmental degradation is happening in our most sensitive landscapes

02:21– national parks, national monuments, and wilderness areas.

02:26Last February, I witnessed some of this ecological devastation firsthand.

02:32When this subcommittee held a field oversight hearing on the border in Sierra Vista, Arizona,

02:36I visited the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge and the Coronado National Forest.

02:43While there, I was dismayed to see trash-strewn landscapes, illegal campfires, and decaying

02:49food piles.

02:50If we truly care about conserving our federal lands and leaving them in better state for

02:55future generations, we cannot ignore this crisis.

02:58And by the way, you can see a picture of that right behind me here.

03:03It is with this realization that prompted me to sponsor the Trashed Border Act last

03:09Congress.

03:10That bill requires federal land managers to develop policies and protocols for addressing

03:14the massive trash accumulations that have piled up along the southern border.

03:19It also requires those agencies to provide current data on the amount of waste collected

03:24on federal lands along the southern border.

03:27Finally, that legislation would increase penalties and fines for illegal immigrants who desecrate

03:32our public lands.

03:34Key provisions of that bill are incorporated in today's legislative package.

03:38The border crisis' impact on public lands was not limited solely to environmental damage.

03:45Under the Biden administration, federal borderlands became increasingly dangerous.

03:50Even in strong enforcement years, federal borderlands are often targeted by criminals,

03:55drug smugglers, and human traffickers because they are remote, largely uninhabited, and

04:01less frequently patrolled.

04:03Under President Biden's shameful neglect, certain sectors resembled all-out war zones.

04:09Federal borderlands have also become a haven for organized crime.

04:13Drug smugglers and human traffickers have directed illegal border crossers toward sparsely

04:17populated portions of the border to enter the U.S. with a lower chance of detection.

04:24Border patrol agents have reported being fired upon in rugged terrain when attempting to

04:29arrest suspected illegal migrants.

04:32Given the unprecedented numbers of known gang members and suspected terrorists who have

04:36crossed the border, this mismanagement has made America's public lands alarmingly unsafe.

04:43The issue is even more pronounced in wilderness areas, which comprise over a million acres

04:47along the southern border.

04:49In these areas, federal land managers impose severe limitations on border patrols' accessibility.

04:55For example, since mechanized and motorized vehicles are prohibited within wilderness

04:59areas, border patrol agents must rely on horses to pursue fleeing suspects in cars

05:05or off-highway vehicles.

05:07These nonsensical restrictions hamper operational effectiveness and needlessly jeopardize officer

05:14safety.

05:15Despite their dismal track record, I still hope that my Democrat colleagues will join

05:19us in protecting our federal borderlands and the safety of all who find themselves there.

05:25Everything in today's featured legislation deserves strong, bipartisan support.

05:30I want to thank all the witnesses for being here today, and I look forward to the insights

05:34that each of you will bring to this important discussion.

'The Most Incompetent And Disgraceful Record Imaginable': Tom Tiffany Shreds Biden's Border Policies

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