Crises the White House is Causing At Home and Abroad
Floor Speech
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Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, during the last election, the Democratic Party managed to win a razor-thin majority here in this House and a split Senate, 50-50. No objective person can look at those numbers and suggest that the President of this party, President Biden, was given any kind of authority whatsoever to try to radically transform our country, but, you know, that is exactly what he has tried to do for the worse.
And the latest offense, the latest overstep, the latest overreach is this President has made the most leftwing nomination to the Supreme Court in American history.
For those who didn't see this over the weekend, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson testified in her post-confirmation hearing written questions for the record: ``I do not hold a position on whether individuals possess natural rights.''
You heard that correctly. President Biden's nominee for the highest court in this land cannot say whether individuals possess natural rights. We can hardly imagine a more un-American position than denying the first self-evident truth of America.
The central and foundational premise of our great country is that all individuals are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. Among those are the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
We have a newsflash for the judge: Those rights don't come from government; they don't come from any human authority. They come from our creator himself. We are endowed with those rights by God.
The fact that Judge Jackson cannot or will not acknowledge this simple fact is disqualifying for the highest court in this land, period, full stop.
Mr. Speaker, the President's nomination is truly out of step with the country and this fateful moment.
And the primary job Americans elected President Biden to do was to help unite this country. This is doing the opposite.
His nomination for the Supreme Court is the latest example of just how badly he has failed.
I am very thankful to my colleagues for joining me on the floor this evening to discuss President Biden's radical nominee to the United States Supreme Court, but also, as you will hear, the myriad number of other crises the White House is creating at home and abroad.
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Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for drawing attention to that. The gentlewoman is exactly right, and some of the Border Patrol officials have said that they estimate that by rescinding title 42, that the number of illegal border crossings will double overnight. So instead of having 7,000 a day, we will go to 18, 20,000 a day. The numbers are just staggering.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield next to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett).
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Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend; we always need a little moment of brevity, don't we? The news is so bad, but the gentleman pointed out and highlighted how difficult the times are, and that is a serious subject.
Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield next to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman), who holds the distinction of being the highest- ranking military officer ever elected to the United States Congress, my classmate, president of our freshman class. I still call him the general.
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Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for that fight and that very worthwhile legislation, and we look forward to seeing that.
The gentleman is right. The surge in crime is directly related to border in so many ways because we know dangerous people have come across that border. It is completely open to MS-13 gang members, violent criminals, convicted persons, criminals who come from other countries. You have child predators, even terrorists who have come across that border. We know this for a fact, and still they won't change the policies.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield next to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa.)
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Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. So much of that is just common sense, and I appreciate him pointing it out.
But sadly, unfortunately, this White House shows no intention whatsoever of reversing its policies and positions, which could fix these problems.
Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to yield next to the gentleman from the great State of Texas (Mr. Babin).
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Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, John Adams said facts are stubborn things, and those are some tough facts. They cannot refute it because everyone can see for themselves.
By the way, Dr. Babin, I just pulled up the U.S. debt clock, this thing that everybody can see on their smartphone. Currently, right now, as we stand here, the national debt is $30,367,412,900. You can't count it or follow it with the naked eye. Unbelievable. And he is proposing more.
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Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for highlighting that. It is a serious issue.
The longest-lasting legacy of any President is who they put on those Federal courts, and, of course, the most important is the highest court in the land. We cannot overstate how important this is.
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Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, that was so well said. I appreciate the gentleman highlighting that issue. It is one of so many that we have deep concerns about with this administration and their budget and everything they do.
We have to protect the sanctity of every single human life. To defend the defenseless is the job that we have--the first job, the primary job.
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Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of wisdom there. The gentleman is exactly right. If a judge begins with the premise that we have no natural rights, that does not bode well for where that logic leads.
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Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Keller for that. These words are not hyperbole. This is what the experts are saying. Customs and Border Patrol agents, those officials who are there every day watching this chaos, this calamity that has developed, they are the ones that are giving us these numbers. They project 18,000 illegals a day. It is just hard to wrap your mind around that.
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Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Absolutely. And these are the results of policy choices, and they could easily be reversed if the White House would wake up and do something.
So I thank the gentleman for bringing that to our attention tonight.
Mr. Speaker, you have heard Members from across the country--north, south, east, and west--who have expressed their outrage and their concern with all of the terrible policy choices that are leading to absurd results for our country. These are very dangerous times. There is no leadership in the White House. There is no leadership in the administration. There is no leadership from the Democratic majority in this House or in the split Senate down the Hall. We can turn these things around, and we can stop these crises if we make different decisions, but they will not do it.
Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for my colleagues who have shown up tonight to articulate this for the American people. We can't say it often enough or loudly enough.
There is going to be a sea change in November, and we pray that we can hold on and keep this Republic until then.
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