The 118th Congress set expectations high when a minority of Republicans band together to ensure a list of priorities would be met by the speaker.
One of those high priority items, which forced Kevin McCarthy’s hand, was Border Security.
Originally, Chip Roy (R-Texas), authored HR 29, the House GOP caucus’ border security bill until Tony Gonzales, a fellow Texas Republican congressman, fought tooth and nail to kill the legislation.
House Republicans went back to the drawing board and H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023, was constructed with the help of a Border Security Coalition (of which we are a proud member).
H.R. 2 would accomplish the following:
- End catch & release
- Resume wall construction
- Bolster border patrol staffing
- Provide Title 42-like authority
- Address exploitation of unaccompanied children by the Biden admin
- Expand mandatory e-verify
H.R. now heads to the U.S. Senate for debate and deliberation