Jodey Arrington

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, it is true. We did put tens of billions of dollars in the first reconciliation bill because the Democrats' open-border policies absolutely wreaked havoc on the current system. It overwhelmed us. My State spent $14 billion to do the job the Federal Government wouldn't do. We didn't have the infrastructure. We didn't have the boots on the ground. We didn't have the judicial process set up to take on the millions of people, over 10 million people, over 5 million of them released, not apprehended and held accountable, caught and released, so the system was overwhelmed. We needed to infuse some capital to boost the infrastructure so we could seamlessly work through that. We are talking about regular operating budgets now and not what we had to put in for the system that was overwhelmed by the record numbers of illegal immigrants. We are talking about last year's budget plus inflation. The bottom line is, my Democrat colleagues stand on the position of defunding immigration enforcement and effectively abolishing ICE. I think that is an untenable position in this country. Only a few radicals hold that position. Most people know what we are up against and what these hardworking, brave people do for us. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from South Carolina (Mrs. Biggs), who is on the Homeland Security Committee here in the House.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, it has often been said that budgets are statements of our priorities and our values. Repeatedly, President Biden would propose cuts to the Department of Homeland Security. The last year he was in office, in fact, Homeland Security was cut by 3.5 percent. Remember, this is all while we had record numbers of illegal immigrants flooding into this country, record numbers of immigrants who were on the terrorist watch list, record numbers of criminals, record numbers of drugs killing Americans at record levels, about a plane load of Americans dying a week. Meanwhile, my Democrat colleagues found time to give $800 billion in tax subsidies to green energy corporations. Think about that: Tax cuts for the rich, rich green energy corporations. Tens of billions of dollars with a cell phone and a pen by Joe Biden, those moneys were given to illegal immigrants for healthcare that hardworking U.S. taxpayers funded. According to NumbersUSA, we are spending about $9,000 per illegal immigrant in this country. Mr. Speaker, that is more than we spend on our most vulnerable U.S. citizens for Medicaid. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Fry), who is also a member of the House Judiciary Committee.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, just to be clear, we are attempting here in a Republican-only exercise to fund ICE and CBP at last year's operating budget plus inflation. That is all we are talking about. Their position is that they want to zero it out. In fact, they already have. They refuse to fund ICE and CBP. They would effectively abolish it. This is not a slush fund unless you are calling what is the normal and regular operating budget of our immigration enforcement and Border Patrol officers a slush fund. It is regular, normal funding, and we are going to do it not for 1 year but for 3 years, so that we don't end up here again. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from the great State of Texas (Mr. Gooden), who is a member of the Judiciary Committee.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, if anybody is living in fear, it is because of the fear- mongering that we continue to hear from our Democratic colleagues, and it is no wonder. It starts at the top. The nominee, or the anointed Presidential nominee of the Democrats in the last Presidential election, Ms. Kamala Harris, compared ICE to the KKK. We heard references to the Gestapo, and a reign of terror is what we just heard. It is no wonder that there are people in the streets obstructing and putting at risk the lives of our law enforcement officers who are trying to clean up our neighborhoods from the deluge of gangbangers and criminals who have flooded cities and towns all across this great Nation. It is a travesty to hear such denigrating terms and to see my colleagues in the United States House Chamber vilifying people who wear the uniform on behalf of all of us and our families. As I said, assaults are up by 1,300 percent, death threats by 8,000 percent. It is a wonder more law enforcement officials and ICE agents haven't been hurt. Let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, who is going to get hurt: lots of people across this land if ICE and CBP were defunded on account of not having willing Republicans to fund them fully, not just for 1 year but for 3 years, so we never end up here again being held hostage by shutdowns and defunding of our law enforcement. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from the great State of Florida (Ms. Lee).

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gill), my friend, who is also a proud member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Stutzman), my friend and a member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock), my friend, who is also a Budget Committee member.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Smucker).

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Smucker), my friend from the Keystone State and vice chairman of the Budget Committee.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the majority leader of the people's House.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Again, Madam Speaker, you are going to hear gas prices, tax policy, healthcare, ballrooms. You are not going to hear anything about what is happening as a result of my Democrats not supporting us funding ICE and CBP, because defunding ICE and CBP after the 4 years of chaos and lawlessness is just completely indefensible. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I have the greatest respect for my friend from Pennsylvania, but that is about as good of Washington obfuscation as I have ever heard. We are talking about funding ICE and CBP. If we don't do it today, ICE and CBP doesn't exist, criminals are running around in our streets, and we don't make good on the promises the American people sent us here to do. They want to talk about tax policy. By the way, they are the party that didn't lift a finger when the tax cuts were going to expire and cause over a $1,000 tax hike for every family in this country. It would have been a 22-percent tax hike--this, on the heels of a cost-of-living crisis that they created by their failed economic policies and their unbridled spending, the likes of which we haven't seen in one half a century. We can go through tax policy and the consequences of the American people having more money in their pockets because of no tax on tips and overtime, seniors getting a double deduction who are on a fixed income, and people who have suffered from Joe Biden's unaffordability crisis. I am happy to go down the line on that. People have more money in their pockets. The economy is growing. Inflation is down. Interest rates are down. The American people were paying $1,000 a month more in their mortgage as a result of the failed policies of my Democratic colleagues. Today, this isn't the debate. The debate is the safety of the American people and resourcing our brave, hardworking law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line to keep us safe. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Jordan), our Judiciary Committee chairman.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, if Republicans today were not willing to use budget reconciliation and depart from appropriations in order to pass a funding bill that would restore funding to ICE and CBP, then what would happen is my Democrat colleagues would be able to achieve what many of them have held for a long time as their objective, and have publicly stated was their objective, and that is to defund immigration enforcement, border enforcement, and abolish ICE. That is effectively what would happen if Republicans didn't act using budget reconciliation to fund ICE and CBP. That would send us back to the Dark Ages, to the 4 years of open borders and the unprecedented lawlessness and chaos and crime with people, crime, gangs, and drugs pouring into our communities, into our States throughout our entire country, jeopardizing the safety of the American people. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone at this point in this country that that is the stated or unstated goal of some of my colleagues. Certainly, it is the well-articulated and cited objective of the left. Quite frankly, a lot of this shutdown and a lot of this obstruction is really the Democratic Party pandering to the left. But what would happen is the same thing that happened for 4 years when we had a Commander in Chief who refused to uphold his sacred oath to enforce the laws. He refused, with Democrat control of Congress and the White House, to enforce the laws and secure our southern border. Basically, he surrendered our sovereignty and safety to the paramilitary terrorist drug cartels on the other side of the border who were glad to make more money off of trafficking people than they did drugs. As a result, we had a complete meltdown in States like Texas who spent billions of dollars and were completely overwhelmed. It is almost unfathomable today to think about it, Madam Speaker, because we have a daily apprehension number at about 196, but the average illegal crossing or apprehension under the Biden-Harris administration was over 5,000. I assure you, we would repeat that and it would be disastrous if we didn't do the right thing, if we didn't govern our great country, if we didn't open up the people's government and fund the important offices of ICE and CBP. For 76 days, our Democrat colleagues held hostage the American people's safety and security. They held hostage the hardworking people at the Department of Homeland Security. It wasn't just ICE and CBP. We were completely dark at Homeland Security. We didn't have the safety protocols being administered by TSA. We didn't have our Coast Guardsmen keeping watch to prevent a terrorist attack at our ports. We didn't have CISA agents preventing an attack on our critical infrastructure, and, of course, we didn't have ICE and CBP functioning to enforce laws and to secure our border. That is the dysfunction we have been dealing with, and we just said enough is enough. We were sent here by the American people who gave President Trump an overwhelming victory. Every swing State, the popular vote, the electoral vote, gave us unified Republican leadership in Congress. The number one reason they did that was to restore the rule of law and to put the American people's safety and security first. That is exactly what we are doing today, in spite of the obstruction. Listen, your granddad and my granddad taught us the same thing: If somebody tells you what they want to do and who they are, believe them. For years, we have been hearing this incendiary and dangerous rhetoric that ICE needed to be defunded. Governor Tim Walz said that ICE officers are an actual threat. These are the people risking their lives to defend us and to protect us in our communities. He said that ICE was a threat to the public. Governor Pritzker said ICE was turning the country into Nazi, Germany. Chuck Schumer said ICE doesn't belong in our neighborhoods. Senator John Hickenlooper said that ICE was a reign of terror. All this while the risks have increased because of the shutdown. We have an 8,000-percent increase in threats to the lives of our ICE agents and Border Patrol agents and a 1,300-percent increase in assaults. These are the dangerous games that Democrats are playing: to obstruct the President, so they can go brag as they pander to the left. Again, the reality is: It is a de facto defunding of law enforcement and abolishing of ICE. We will prevent that today, because I am confident that my friends in the Republican Conference will do the right thing and put the American people and their safety first. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Those are my opening remarks.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1345, I call up the bill (S. 2) to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 33, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to remember a husband, father, brother, and son, Brett Cole Underwood. Brett tragically lost his life on Friday, May 15, 2026. He was laid to rest on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in the presence of his family and friends. Brett was born to Melissa ``Missy'' Bross and Joe Bryan Underwood on January 9, 1997. He grew up in Clyde, Texas, and attended Clyde schools from kindergarten until his graduation in 2015. In high school, Brett excelled in sports, enjoyed spending time with his friends, and was blessed to meet Kalli Williams, the love of his life, his future wife, and the mother of his two boys, Bryson and Kooper. He worked hard for his family as a lineman for Taylor Electric in Abilene. In his free time, Brett was an avid outdoorsman who loved to hunt and fish at any opportunity he had. He could fix anything, never minded getting his hands dirty, and was always one of the first to volunteer and lend a helping hand. Brett could make anyone laugh and never struggled to make a friend. It cannot be overstated how much he loved being a father to Bryson and Kooper. He worked hard to instill good values, great habits, and to teach them how to be good men. He led his family with a strong faith and an overwhelming amount of love. Brett was truly the salt of the earth. Mr, Speaker, please join me in remembering the life of Brett and praying for his wife, Kalli, his boys, and all of his family and friends. He was loved beyond measure and will be deeply missed.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I heard from my Democratic friend about rising to support the vulnerable in this country who need healthcare. Well, let's just face the harsh facts. I know it is difficult for my Democratic colleagues because they created this monster, but ObamaCare since its inception has doubled premiums, doubled deductibles. It has made healthcare anything but affordable. And then Joe Biden writes an executive order to allow illegal immigrants to avail themselves of social services, namely, healthcare, when American people are standing and waiting in line getting sicker at hospitals and other healthcare providers. I think it is unacceptable. This is the most generous country in the world when it comes to immigrants, Mr. Speaker. We are going to fund the Department of Homeland Security. We are going to protect the American people. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Unleash chaos. Think about that. Ask the American people what they believe about unleashed chaos, millions upon millions of people flooding our country. The Biden administration released 5-plus million people into our streets and into our neighborhoods, record number of criminals, record number of terrorists. Mr. Speaker, I think the chaos that was unleashed was from the Biden administration and the Democrats opening up our border and throwing complete caution, rule of law, and the security of the American people to the wind, and we have suffered greatly as a country. We are trying to fix it. We are trying to be the adults. We are trying to fund the government. We are trying to support our ICE agents and all those at the Department of Homeland Security that are protecting our ports and our critical infrastructure. They are doing their job for the country they love, and we are preventing them from getting a paycheck. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, do you know what the letter says? Let me summarize. The millions of people who are no longer on Medicaid or SNAP are people who don't qualify to be on there. They are people who are in this country illegally, and they were people who refused to work even though they are able to work. Hardworking taxpayers are willing to support their fellow Americans, but it is a social compact, and there is a responsibility. That is what we did as Republicans. Mr. Speaker, that is what the American people sent us here to do. We can talk about the cost. Deficits are coming down. There is more money in people's pockets. Safety nets are being restored, protected, and preserved for the American citizens who depend on them. We are protecting tax dollars, and we are looking out for our kids and future vulnerable Americans who need these programs that are unsustainable because my Democratic colleagues haven't lifted a finger to help us root out waste and fraud. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, again, I remind my colleagues and friend that the average gas price under Joe Biden and the Democratic leadership was over $5 per gallon. Under President Trump, it is just a little over $3 per gallon. He talks about cost, but if you look at the CBO, which is a nonpartisan scorekeeper, they would tell you that in the first 6 months of this fiscal year, compared to the last 6 months of the last fiscal year, the deficit has actually gone down for the first time in almost a decade by $138 billion. That is not me telling you that. That is not conjecture on the part of either party. It is the watchdog, scorekeeper, nonpartisan, telling you that when we held the line to control spending on the discretionary side for the last 4 years, we have saved almost $500 billion. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is big and beautiful because we protected tax dollars, and we preserved the safety nets for American citizens who need them and depend on them. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the CBO about the Medicaid coverage impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Congressional Budget Office, U.S. Congress Washington, DC, June 24, 2025. Re Information Concerning Medicaid-Related Provisions in Title IV of H.R. 1. Hon. Jodey Arrington, Chairman, Committee on the Budget, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Brett Guthrie, Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, Washington, DC Dear Chairman Arrington and Chairman Guthrie: You have asked the Congressional Budget Office for information concerning changes to insurance coverage that would occur under H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as passed by the House of Representatives on May 22, 2025. You asked specifically about changes related to Medicaid under title IV, Energy and Commerce. CBO estimates that enacting the Medicaid provisions in title IV would increase the number of people without health insurance by 7.8 million in 2034 relative to baseline projections under current law. Of that number: About 4.8 million would be able-bodied adults between the ages of 19 and 64 who have no dependents and who do not meet the community engagement requirement in section 44141 for participating in work-related activities at least 80 hours a month. About 1.4 million would be people who do not meet citizenship and immigration status requirements for Medicaid enrollment but who would be covered under current law in programs funded by the states. About 2.2 million would become uninsured because of other provisions in H.R. 1. including provisions increasing the frequency of verification of eligibility to enroll in Medicaid or those that would lead states to change their Medicaid enrollment requirements in response to federal policy changes. CBO estimates that the interactions among the policies would, on net, reduce the number of people without health insurance by 600,000 in 2034 relative to the sum of the estimated effects of the individual policies because some people would become uninsured under more than one policy. You asked several questions about the number of people who would be enrolled in Medicaid under the legislation and about the number of people who would not have health insurance under H.R. 1. You also asked about the effects on state Medicaid spending under H.R. 1. For the number of individuals estimated to be without health insurance in 2034 as a result of the Medicaid policies in H.R. 1, what share would be eligible for other health insurance subsidies but would be estimated to not participate? CBO estimates that of the projected increase of 7.8 million people without health insurance in 2034, 1.6 million would have access to, but would not take up, other forms of subsidized coverage, such as premium tax credits for insurance purchased through the marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act or employment-based coverage; that number also includes people who would remain eligible for Medicaid but would not enroll. For which provisions in H.R. 1 does CBO estimate that there would be an increase in the number of people without health insurance resulting from state discretion in the management of enrollment within their own Medicaid programs? What does CBO estimate would be the effect on the number of people without health insurance under those policies? CBO estimates that enacting several sections would reduce resources available to states to fund their Medicaid programs or state-funded insurance programs: Section 44107 would eliminate the authority of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to waive penalties for payment errors and would reduce federal funding to states for errors in eligibility determinations. Section 44111 would reduce the federal matching rate for people enrolled in Medicaid under the expansion of the program provided in the Affordable Care Act from 90 percent to 80 percent for any state that uses its own funds to provide coverage to certain immigrants through state programs. Section 44132 would prevent states from increasing current tax rates on providers and bar them from creating new tax arrangements for providers. Section 44134 would make additional changes to what constitutes a permissible provider tax and would effectively limit collections of those taxes in certain states. CBO expects that in response to those provisions, states would modify their Medicaid or state-funded insurance programs to curtail their spending by reducing provider payment rates, reducing the scope or amount of optional services, and reducing Medicaid enrollment. CBO estimates that state responses to those provisions would increase the number of people without health insurance by a total of 2.0 million in 2034. Does CBO estimate that the Medicaid provisions in H.R. 1 would result in a net decrease in state spending on the Medicaid program, before accounting for how states respond to the federal policy changes, and if so by how much? CBO estimates that, if combined, enacting all of the Medicaid provisions in H.R. 1 would reduce the states' total share of spending on Medicaid by $13.1 billion, on net. over the 2025-2034 period. Some provisions would reduce state spending, and some would increase it. CBO estimates that over the 2025-2034 period, provisions that make changes to program eligibility and enrollment processes, as well as some payment changes, would cause states' spending to decline by $214.4 billion. Reductions in federal or other resources available to state programs would cause states' spending to rise by $201.3 billion. What is the number of individuals whose citizenship, nationality, or satisfactory immigration status is not verifIed, but would be covered under current law in programs funded by states? CBO estimates that enacting section 44111 would increase the number of people without health insurance by 1.4 million in 2034 because, in order to maintain the 90 percent federal matching rate, most states would stop using state-only funds to provide health insurance coverage to people who do not meet citizenship and immigration status requirements for Medicaid enrollment. What are the changes in the number of uninsured people that would be associated with provisions aimed at verifying eligibility for the Medicaid program, specifically sections 44102 and 44108 of H.R. 1? Section 44102 would prevent one part of what is termed the Eligibility and Enrollment final rule from being implemented, administered, or enforced through the end of 2034. That part of the rule changes the way that states process applications and renewals for coverage under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. For example, the rule specifies that states can only conduct eligibility determinations for people who are aged, blind, and disabled once a year--less frequently than under some states' prior practices. The rule also specifies that states cannot require in-person interviews during eligibility redeterminations for that group of enrollees. CBO expects that enacting section 44102 of H.R. 1 would reduce enrollment as states returned to earlier administrative practices. CBO estimates that enacting section 44102 would increase the number of people without health insurance by 600,000 in 2034. Section 44108 would require states to redetermine Medicaid eligibility every six months, instead of once a year, for some enrollees. CBO expects that enacting the section would result in some people being removed from the program sooner than would occur under current law. CBO estimates that enacting section 44108 would increase the number of people without health insurance by 700,000 in 2034. In CBO's baseline, how many individuals are enrolled in Medicaid in 2025 and how many are enrolled in 2034? How many would be enrolled in 2034 under H.R. 1? In CBO's January 2025 baseline projections, 85.0 million people will be enrolled in Medicaid this year, rising to 90.0 million in 2034. CBO estimates that under H.R. 1, 79.5 million people would be enrolled in Medicaid in 2034--10.5 million fewer than under current-law projections. In CBO's baseline, what is total federal Medicaid spending in 2025 and in 2034? What would total federal Medicaid spending be in each of those years accounting for the effects of H.R. 1? In CBO's January 2025 baseline, the agency estimates $655.9 billion in Medicaid spending in 2025, increasing to $985.7 billion by 2034. CBO estimates that enacting the Medicaid provisions of H.R. 1 would reduce Medicaid spending by $125.2 billion in 2034, to total $860.5 billion that year. I hope this information is useful to you. Please contact me if you have further questions. Sincerely, Phillip L. Swagel, Director.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, just, again, setting the record straight for the American people, the only moneys we are spending are moneys that the Democrats in the House and Senate agreed with us to spend to operate the Department of Homeland Security, including ICE and CBP. Then, they reneged on it. They went back on their word, and they shut the Department of Homeland Security down for over 70 days. All we are doing is using reconciliation, a budgetary tool, to fund ICE and CBP because they want to defund ICE and CBP. I mean, you hear it in their rhetoric. I mentioned the masked thugs and the comparison to the KKK. They are talking about protecting the illegal immigrant, but you haven't heard a word about Laken Riley and her family. You haven't heard anything about Jocelyn Nungaray and her family or the thousands upon thousands of American citizens whose lives are forever changed because of the harm that was perpetrated upon them from an illegal, criminal alien who was allowed into this country with impunity because our President at the time was derelict in his duty to uphold the laws of the land because he refused to provide for the common defense. When Texas and other States tried to protect their citizens, they were harassed and obstructed at every turn. What choice do we have: go back to the open border and a sanctuary Nation for criminal aliens? That is not acceptable to Republicans, and that is not acceptable to the people in the popular vote, in the electoral vote, or in every swing State. They sent us here to put America first and the American people first and to restore law and order. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Van Epps).