Ted Budd: “we meet this week at a critical time for our country and for our world. There are wars raging in Europe and the Middle…”

“we meet this week at a critical time for our country and for our world. There are wars raging in Europe and the Middle East. China poses a growing threat to the United States and our interests in the Indo-Pacific, and we are currently facing the worst border crisis in U.S. history. We are feeling the consequences of this crisis all over the country. In New York City, we witnessed illegal aliens attack members of law enforcement and then brazenly flaunt obscene gestures on camera to all of America. In Boston, an illegal alien who crossed the border in December 2022 was arrested by ICE after raping a handicapped citizen. Pick your city. Pick your State. In my home State of North Carolina, we have seen a 22-percent increase in drug overdose deaths--the highest level ever recorded. This is primarily due to deadly fentanyl that was produced in China and then transported into our country through an open southern border on President Biden's watch. Police departments from Charlotte to Raleigh have uncovered tens of thousands of pounds of fentanyl, enough to kill every man, woman, and child not just in my home State of North Carolina but in this whole country. Now, in order to tackle the challenges both at home and abroad, the Senate and the White House attempted to craft an agreement to deal with this border crisis. The Senator, my friend and colleague from Oklahoma, Senator Lankford, did the best he could considering the ideologies of those he was negotiating with.…”