Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the ranking member of the committee has his talking points today when he wants to complain about a businessman helping the administration to save taxpayer dollars, and he is raising histrionics to a new level by talking about a constitutional crisis.

Mr. Speaker, we do have the power of the purse under Article I, but Article II, when given that money, has a responsibility for administering it in a responsible manner. If this administration is going to grant taxpayer funds for irresponsible purposes, or if the last administration granted money to irresponsible recipients, then this administration should be able to reconsider those grants or stop those grants from occurring and direct the money into a more appropriate place.

It doesn't surprise me that the gentleman from suburban Washington, who has so many Federal employees in his district, is now worried that we are going to have a number of Federal employees who are going to be put out of work.

Do you know what, Mr. Speaker? We have too many Federal employees in this country. It is about time that we shrink the size and scope of the Federal Government, and I think that even though it results in people in suburban Washington unfortunately having to seek employment elsewhere, it will save the taxpayers money and improve government efficiency for the long term.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support this bill, the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act, because, in recent years, cartels and human smugglers have recruited drivers to transport illegal aliens from the southwest border further into the United States and many of our communities.

Unsurprisingly, when encountered by law enforcement and Customs and Border Protection officials, these drivers routinely flee, often at high speeds.

Raul Gonzalez was a Border Patrol agent who was killed in 2022 in a high-speed chase while pursuing a car filled with illegal immigrants in Texas. That same year, there were six Border Patrol agents who died on the job.

A high-speed chase puts agents, first responders, and innocent bystanders in danger. Because these chases happen as often as daily to multiple times a day, they take up the bulk of the U.S. marshals' responses to calls.

This bill provides a Federal criminal penalty for individuals who intentionally evade Border Patrol agents or law enforcement officers assisting Border Patrol and provides for escalating penalties when evading law enforcement results in serious bodily injury or death.

The consequences of the Biden-Harris administration's open-borders policies are clear. Now, House Republicans, along with President Trump, can ensure the safety of our communities and the security of our borders.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I encourage my colleagues to do so, as well.

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