Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX-21) said of the border crisis, “We should act immediately in the following ways: fund President Trump’s $4.5 billion-dollar emergency supplemental request; end Catch & Release; ensure that parents and children are kept together in custody while their cases are pending; close all loopholes in our broken asylum system; and ensure unaccompanied alien minors are quickly and safely returned home.”
“It is far past time this body addressed it,” Roy added.
Throughout the House’s proceedings on June 12, members of HFC asked for recorded votes on every amendment made in order during debate over funding the federal departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) said on the House floor Wednesday, “I am going to make a motion to adjourn because our colleagues refuse to bring a supplement that would pay for humanitarian detention facilities.”
About Wednesday’s move, Congressman Roy stated on Twitter, “Today, we are forcing action to address the humanitarian crisis on our southern border.”
Conducting a recorded vote on every piece of legislation will greatly slow the speed at which business is conducted in Washington, as Congress often relies on unanimous consent motions or voice votes to move quickly on legislation.
A 2005 Brookings Institution study found that around 80 percent of legislation was passed by unanimous consent. In 2010, former Sen. Jim DeMint (R-GA) said on the floor that 94 percent of Senate bills were passed on unanimous consent.
While DeMint’s number included non-controversial legislation that would receive little debate, this reflects the sheer amount of official business that will be stalled in the House the longer this standoff continues.
Five Texas Congressmen are part of the House Freedom Caucus: Michael Cloud (TX-R-27), Louie Gohmert (TX-R-1), Chip Roy (TX-R-21), Randy Weber (TX-R-14), and Ron Wright (TX-R-6). Sources confirmed that Congressman Weber was on the floor to support Roy’s efforts. Weber’s office could not be reached immediately for comment.
After two years in control of the House and largely punting on immigration, Congressional Republicans are now faced with an increasingly dire situation at the border, and Speaker Pelosi has shown little interest in addressing it.
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Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson is a senior reporter for The Texan and an Ohio native who graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 2017. He is an avid sports fan who most enjoys watching his favorite teams continue their title drought throughout his cognizant lifetime. In his free time, you may find Brad quoting Monty Python productions and trying to calculate the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow.
