Mario Diaz-Balart

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the text of H.R. 5860, as proposed to be adopted under suspension of the rules, be modified by the amendment that I have placed at the desk.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I would remind everyone that before we can fund anything else Ukraine, we have to start by funding the government of the United States of America. We have been on the floor for a while now, and let me just boil it down to this, if I may, Mr. Speaker: If you want to shut down the government and all that that entails, then there is an opportunity to do so by voting ``no.'' If you want to keep the Federal Government working and open and allow the democratic process to proceed, then all of us have the opportunity to do so very simply, after all of the words are spoken, to just vote ``yes.'' It could not be simpler, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 741, I call up the bill (H.R. 5525) making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2024, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to speak on the Spending Reduction and Border Security Act of 2024. As we all know, the most basic duty that Congress has and must complete every year is that constitutional power of Congress to fund the Federal Government. This bill, Mr. Speaker, will provide funding to keep our government open until October 31. Unless we act now, the government will shut down at midnight on Saturday. Let's be very clear, Mr. Speaker. The House has already passed four appropriations bills, which constitute the majority of funding for our government. Now, unfortunately, the Senate continues to sit on its hands and has failed to pass any of them, any of them thus far. Unfortunately, it is something that we have seen time and time again from our friends across this building. Mr. Speaker, the country is nearly $32.9 trillion in debt--that is trillion with a t, Mr. Speaker--and our deficit this year is $1.9 trillion. The Biden administration has gone on a crazy, irresponsible spending binge with money that we do not have to spend, money that is borrowed mostly from Communist China. It is time. It is time. It is time that we slow this out-of-control, unsustainable spending to a level that is sustainable. Yesterday, Mr. Speaker, I was proud that the House of Representatives passed the State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill, one that I was pleased and honored to lead that cut wasteful spending while making crucial investments in our national security, all while the total cost of that bill passed last night is way below fiscal year 2015 spending levels. That bill that we passed will slow our spending by really taking discretionary spending back to fiscal year 2022 overall. Now, excluded from those reductions in this bill are any reductions from defense, veterans, homeland security, and disaster relief. It is a very important start and well overdue to fund our priorities, the American people's priorities, but doing so in a responsible way that does not bankrupt the American taxpayer. Mr. Speaker, in addition, this bill provides flexibility to the Department of Defense for new starts, but this bill does more than just deal with our out-of-control spending, which it must. It will also help the just inhumane tide at our southern border. Mr. Speaker, our southern border is out of control. The Biden administration has failed to even do the bare minimum to secure our border. As I have said before, Mr. Speaker, the irresponsible attitude of the Biden administration when it comes to the southern border is beyond negligence and incompetence. It also has fatal consequences. In just the last few days, we have seen a surge at the border with an average of over 9,000 apprehensions each and every day. This is unsustainable. It is unthinkable, and I would add it is immoral. Mr. Speaker, our border is out of control. Actually, no, let me correct myself right here on the floor of the House, Mr. Speaker. No, it is controlled now 100 percent by the narco-terrorist cartels on the Mexican side of the border. That is who the administration has ceded control of the southern border to. This crisis is only going to continue to get worse and worse unless we act. Earlier this year, the House approved the bill that I was honored to lead, H.R. 2, the Border Security Act of 2023. As you know, Mr. Speaker, this bill would make changes to our immigration policies that would help reclaim control of the southern border. I am proud to say that the Spending Reduction and Border Security Act of 2024, which I am speaking about today, includes the Border Security Act of 2023 already passed by this House. This bill provides a solution. This bill that we are discussing now provides a solution to keep the government open. This bill keeps the government open and restrains the growth of government while giving us an opportunity to continue negotiations on the appropriations bills. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to do the responsible thing. Support this bill so that we can send it to the Senate and keep the Federal Government open. That is what we are dealing with. That is what the vote is about. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to do the right thing and vote ``yes'' on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, let's be very clear. We are going to know shortly who wants to shut down the government and who wants to keep it open because we are going to have a vote. In front of us today is this resolution to keep the government open. I know there is going to be a lot of talk, but we are going to have a vote. If you vote for this resolution, it keeps the government open, and if you vote against it, government shuts down Saturday night. That is not too complicated. The American people are smart. They get that. Out of all the talk we are going to hear, we will know on that vote. If you vote for this resolution, you are voting to keep the government open. If you vote against it, well, you are voting to shut it down. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman), the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I will remind everyone what we are talking about today. This keeps the government open. It secures the border, and it, frankly, reduces wasteful spending. That is what we are dealing with here. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington), the chairman of the Committee on the Budget.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I would remind my colleagues in the House and the American people that last year, 900 immigrants died trying to cross the border. That is not humane. That is insane, and that we are not willing to look away and tolerate in the name of what? No. That is what is intolerable. I will not be lectured, Mr. Speaker, when 900 migrants died trying to get to the United States, and when there are thousands of children who are now missing that were supposed to be taken care of by the United States Federal Government. You don't hear about that. That is not humane. This legislation puts an end to that insanity. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Jordan), the chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Donalds), a friend and neighbor of my district.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Ciscomani), a Member whose life story symbolizes what the American Dream is all about, and a member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. Johnson), an author of this bill.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Austin Scott).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Malliotakis).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Molinaro).

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, oh, so many words. Allow me, Mr. Speaker, to cut to the chase. We have a choice right now. Vote ``yes'' to keep the Federal Government open, to control inflation-causing overspending, and to secure the southern border. That is a ``yes'' vote, or vote ``no'' to shut down the Federal Government, to keep the narco cartels in control of the southern border. This is pretty simple. Government likes to complicate things. As politicians, we like to try to obfuscate reality. This is very simple. We have a choice. I ask our colleagues to do the responsible thing; secure the border, stop out-of-control, inflation- causing spending, and, yes, keep the government open by voting ``yes.'' Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), a champion of human rights.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.