Outrageous Government-Funded Incentives

Floor Speech

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Mr. KNOTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today alongside four of my esteemed colleagues to both highlight and condemn the misuse of taxpayer dollars funneled to illegal immigrants.

An outrageous pattern of perverse and intentional incentives reveal deliberate efforts to worsen the border crisis and to allow tens of millions of illegal aliens to invade our Nation at direct cost to the American taxpayer.

The Biden-Harris administration cycled through repeated falsehoods: claiming the border was secure, claiming they did not have what was needed to stop this invasion, claiming that they were helpless and needed Congress to take the lead. Meanwhile, that same administration lined the pockets of leftwing NGOs to shower illegal immigrants with incentives in the form of open-ended access to your tax dollars.

Earlier this year, reports surfaced from the watchdog group, Open The Books, exposing Biden's Department of Health and Human Services for awarding shockingly large amounts of grants and dollars to nonprofits focused on aiding illegal immigrants, amounting to as high as 20 million people who illegally crossed into our country during Biden's term in office.

Taxpayer-funded awards paid for illegal aliens' housing, healthcare, education, even music lessons, therapy. You name it, the taxpayer covered it.

Using NGOs as a proxy, the Biden administration sent a clear message that our laws were not to be taken seriously, and living off of the American taxpayer was both acceptable and encouraged. The same people fueling this elaborate scheme also pushed a false narrative that supporting illegal activity somehow gives them a moral high ground. This, of course, is false.

Mr. Speaker, I am here to tell the American people that they are right to expect secure borders. They are right to demand law and order. They are right to be outraged that hundreds of billions of their dollars have gone to illegal aliens and politically connected NGOs who facilitated this recent invasion.

President Trump's swift actions to halt illegal crossings and to deport illegal aliens in his first 100 days has made one thing painfully clear: The Biden-Harris administration was never working to fix our immigration system. They actively and deliberately worked to undermine it.

The Center for Immigration Studies found illegal immigrants annually take--and this is a conservative estimate--nearly $120 billion directly from public services, to include public schools, public welfare, and healthcare. Every American across the country should expect more from their government.

Joining me today are a few of my colleagues. I yield first to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Moore), my fellow North Carolinian and a fierce border security advocate. Congressman Moore has been a leading voice in the fight to reform FEMA and to ensure its funds go toward helping American citizens rather than to illegal immigrants, especially those recovering from Hurricane Helene.

Mr. MOORE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, just a couple things about Congressman Knott, for folks who don't know, before he was a Member of Congress here, he was actually a very well-esteemed prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's office. Congressman Knott has shared many stories where he was personally having to prosecute a lot of these violent gang members, these MS-13 gang members. For some reason, some of our colleagues want to go down and hug a thug or something and see these folks down in Central America.

Mr. Knott was helping prosecute these folks, and I know the prosecutors were very frustrated at the time with what they were seeing with these open borders. I appreciate, one, what he did before he came to Congress; two, what he is doing now; and, three, hosting this opportunity today to bring attention of this to the American people.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise on behalf of the people of North Carolina, particularly western North Carolina. I represent hardworking Americans playing by the rules, doing everything they can right--paying their taxes, raising their kids, and taking care of their neighbors whose lives were impacted substantially by Hurricane Helene that hit last year. It tore through our region. It destroyed roads. It destroyed homes. It took lives. It changed so many things.

I will say the good news is the resilience of North Carolinians, not only in government, not only in local government, but also in volunteers and the faith community. I see my good friend, Congressman Harris, over there. The churches stepped up in such a tremendous way to help folks out in a serious time of need to do what they needed to do.

We also saw where the Federal Government, in a lot of ways, failed to do the job. Under the past administration, we saw where FEMA wasn't doing the job. I am proud to say that under this new administration, FEMA is getting the job done. Many folks who didn't live there saw pictures of the mass destruction that was in western North Carolina and the lack of response in so many ways.

Just to kind of put some points on that with some numbers, according to the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general, FEMA could not account for $7.4 million out of an audit sample of $12.9 million. These sound like small numbers, but that is an audit sample. Think about that. That is 58 percent of those funds were either unsupported or not properly documented.

There was an example where one contractor billed $9 million for labor and could only support or back up $1.5 million of it. Another was reimbursed twice for the same $40,000. Some grantees couldn't even prove they delivered services. FEMA had approved it all.

Then you compare things, Mr. Speaker, where folks were needing help, and they were getting the runaround and getting the delay. Again, I stress to folks that that has changed since January of this year. We are seeing FEMA getting the job done in a lot of ways. I will talk about what FEMA did with some of this other money in just a moment.

Here is another example of some mismanagement by the previous administration. Remember the so-called American Rescue Plan. Democrats passed a bill of $1.9 trillion on a party-line vote. Less than 9 percent of that money, by the way, went to combat COVID. Tucked inside that bill was $110 million to FEMA. We would think that is a great thing, right?

Here is the problem. It wasn't for disaster recovery. It was to fund something they were calling humanitarian assistance. What that was, was to help illegal immigrants at the border. That was just the start.

Mr. Speaker, they followed it with another $150 million in March 2022 and then $800 million more in December of that year. FEMA was effectively converted into a border response welfare agency and rebranded as the Shelter and Services Program. It paid for migrant housing, transportation, and services in sanctuary cities, while American disaster victims waited months just to hear back about their applications. It is absolutely shameful.

My constituents were patching their roofs and clearing debris by hand. FEMA was busy footing the bill for nice hotel stays in New York for folks who weren't even supposed to be in the country. This was a willful effort by the other side to just enable this border crisis.

I have to say that Congressman Knott pointed out how the border is finally secure, and it didn't require a change in law. It simply required a President who would follow the law.

What do we have going on now that things have changed? My colleagues on the other side of the aisle, respectfully, are not showing up in towns that were damaged by the storm, asking questions of FEMA, and looking to go see what is happening. Who has shown up? Secretary Noem has shown up. President Trump has shown up.

Instead, some of my colleagues--and I don't know why--have decided they want to go to El Salvador and rub elbows and maybe grab a margarita with some former MS-13 gang members. It looks like it is a delegation to meet face-to-face with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a known member of MS-13.

That gang is responsible for countless murders, assaults, and human trafficking. Instead of demanding justice, Democrats took selfies. For example, I know Congressman Knott had to prosecute MS-13 when he was prosecuting in the Eastern District of North Carolina.

We don't need any more hug-a-thug diplomacy. We need a Federal Government that puts the American people first, puts their safety first, their livelihoods first, and their families first.

My friends, we are still feeling the consequences of this failed border policy in North Carolina. Just last week, this picture to my right, the FBI in Charlotte--and I want to give a shout-out to the FBI agents based out of Charlotte. They arrested an illegal immigrant who had already been deported.

That is a picture of him right there. He was charged with the kidnapping of a mother and her 1-year-old child in Garner, North Carolina. That is in Congressman Knott's district right there. They kidnapped her. They tied up her husband, took the woman and the child at gunpoint, demanded a ransom of $1 million, and then dumped them in the woods.

By the grace of God and the swift action of the FBI, Garner police, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, they were rescued.

That crime never should have happened. Estrada-Hernandez should never have been in this country in the first place. Do you know what, Mr. Speaker? He would not have been if it weren't for the Biden administration's open-border policy and refusal to simply follow the law.

Mr. Speaker, this is not compassion. This is not justice. This is chaos, engineered and endorsed by some on the other side. I do hope those on the other side who disagree with this will start stepping up and pushing back with what is happening there.

I will say this, too. Thankfully, under President Trump's leadership, we are cleaning house. The Department of Government Efficiency has exposed FEMA's failures in the past administration. Secretary Noem is working to get this agency back on mission, and Congress is moving to eliminate the Shelter and Services Program and return those funds to real disaster recovery where they belong.

To the families who are still recovering from Hurricane Helene and to those who were told there was no money left while FEMA lost track of millions, I hear you. Help is on the way.

This, my friends, is what it means to put Americans first, to restore common sense, and to lead with integrity.

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Mr. KNOTT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Congressman from North Carolina (Mr. Moore).

Congressman Haridopolos and I have had many conversations about the cost of illegal immigration on programs that are designed to help and support vulnerable Americans, especially Medicaid.

Congressman Haridopolos has extensive experience in the Medicaid space, and he knows that it must be guarded to protect those who rely upon it here in the United States. It is not an international charity, and it is especially not for the illegal immigrants here in this country. I will ask him to elaborate on his experience with this issue.

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Mr. KNOTT. Mr. Speaker, I am ready for that debate any day, and I am ready for that discussion any day.

Again, the Republicans believe that American tax dollars should serve American citizens and not those who are here illegally.

Congressman Harris pointed out back in February that an NGO in North Carolina was actively working to hinder law enforcement, aid illegal immigrants, and further worsen the crisis engulfing our communities both in North Carolina and all over our country. A pastor of more than 30 years, Congressman Harris is proof that allowing this humanitarian crisis to continue is not compassionate and that enforcing our laws is not hateful.

Mr. HARRIS of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Knott for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure today to be able to share in this time together. I am grateful to Congressman Haridopolos for sharing, also for Congressman Moore whom we heard from earlier. I am honored to be a part of this, and I am very thankful for the vision and the passion that Congressman Knott has shown in pulling together this Special Order.

When a burglar breaks into your house, Mr. Speaker, you don't set a place for them at the dinner table. That principle seems pretty obvious. However, for some reason, radical progressives just can't understand it.

For the past 4 years, radical, progressive Democrats have openly welcomed criminal aliens into American communities.

Lest we forget, here are just a few of the violent guests the left has invited into our country:

Felix Rojas, an illegal alien who was deported multiple times, was charged just last week for raping a corpse on a Manhattan subway.

In my home State of North Carolina, two illegal aliens whom Congressman Moore alluded to earlier, Paola Duran Duran and Miguel Duran Duran, were arrested for breaking into a home and kidnapping a mother and her 11-month-old daughter.

Just outside Washington, D.C., an illegal alien, Hyrum Rodriguez, was arrested by ICE after a local court dropped his charges.

What was the crime that he was charged with?

It was abducting a 4-year-old.

These heinous criminals are only a small number of those welcomed into our country by Joe Biden and who were arrested in just the past few days by the Trump administration.

Mr. Speaker, you can only imagine what is happening in our country on a grander scale. While under President Trump's leadership, illegal border crossings are down 95 percent from last year, yet we are still suffering from the impacts of the open-border policies of the last 4 years.

The left did not just facilitate an open-border invasion, they have made the American taxpayer pay for it, and we are still paying for it.

Under former President Biden's open-borders agenda, it is estimated that at least 10 million illegal aliens entered our country, and on top of the massive financial cost of the crimes they commit and the jobs they take away from Americans, a huge chunk of them have been accessing government benefits like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

Mr. Speaker, this is unacceptable. Americans are hard workers. That is why we have the best country in the world. They don't work backbreaking jobs their whole careers for their taxpayer dollars to subsidize the lives of the very invaders who have subverted their sovereignty.

The left loves to fact-check, so why don't we take a moment and hear some cold, hard facts:

Fact number one, under the Biden administration, more than 1 million illegal aliens received Medicaid benefits.

Fact number two, in fiscal year 2024 alone, over 2 million illegal aliens were given Social Security numbers.

Fact number three, a 2023 study showed that the net cost of illegal aliens to the American taxpayer was at least $150 billion annually.

Fact number four, States are still having to bear the financial burden of Biden's border crisis. Texas taxpayers have to shell out $8.88 billion a year to pay for the illegal aliens who invaded their State. For Californians, it is almost $22 billion.

By the way, fact number five, in some States, in a complete affront to citizens, illegal aliens can get mortgages, bank loans, insurance, driver's licenses, in-State college tuition, and free healthcare. For illegal aliens, the U.S. has been an all-you-can-eat buffet. However, the American taxpayer and innocent women like Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray, and Rachel Morin have paid the full price of the left's open- border agenda.

It is time to turn off the faucet permanently. American taxpayers shouldn't have to fund their own demise, paying for government programs that actually encourage an invasion.

President Trump has shown us the path forward. Border crossings are down. As I mentioned earlier, criminal aliens and gang members are being deported left and right. In other words, the forgotten American is first once again.

Nevertheless, there is still much work to be done, especially in this 119th Congress. Under President Biden, Americans' hard-earned taxpayer dollars in the Federal budget were used as a slush fund for the radical left to facilitate a border invasion of millions of illegal aliens, export their woke ideologies across the globe with wasteful pet projects, and weaponize the government against anyone who disagreed with their policies.

However, President Trump's budget proposal, when signed into law, will be a crucial step in taking our country back from the left. It will defund the wasteful government programs subsidizing illegal aliens and provide President Trump with the very tools to solidify his sensible border security initiatives.

For example, President Trump's budget would eliminate the shelter and services program that facilitated swarms of illegal aliens into American communities and save taxpayers $650 million at the same time. It will also stop funneling $428 million to migrant education programs that are taking away from struggling American students.

Those are just a glimpse of the countless wasteful projects for which the American citizens should not be footing the bill. It is up to Congress now to come together and advance both the President's budget and the reconciliation package across the finish line.

Mr. Speaker, we owe nothing less to the American people who are tired of being placed behind illegal aliens. When illegal aliens are given benefits like Medicaid and Social Security by the thousands, then they will keep coming into our country, burdening the American taxpayer, and exacerbating the crime in our cities.

This is why it is so important that this Congress act now with a budget reconciliation, to give President Trump the tools he needs to keep both the wallet and the soul of America safe.

Burglars are in the house, and they don't just want a seat at the dinner table. They want the entire spread.

It is time for us to use this historic opportunity to correct our course.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Knott for his vision and his leadership.

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Mr. KNOTT. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Harris for his remarks.

At least 1 million illegals are on Medicaid. I would submit that I have heard not one syllable from the Democratic Party from 5 years ago when Joe Biden took power until today protesting that fact. The Republican Party wants to protect Medicaid and get the 1 million-plus illegals on it out of the country and off of the program.

Mr. Speaker, I mentioned earlier that some of the ridiculous benefits that taxpayers have unknowingly funded for illegal aliens include something as unique as music lessons. When digging into this issue, Congressman Kennedy and I were both outraged and simply shocked at the brazen and flagrant waste of funds on these perverse incentives.

I know Congressman Kennedy to be a fierce advocate for conservative principles both for his district in Utah and for the country at large.

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Mr. KNOTT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his remarks.

Mr. Speaker, you have heard today from our colleagues and myself about the outrageous government-funded incentives and plans to keep illegal aliens not only flowing into this country but also to stay in this country. This scheme goes beyond waste. It represents, candidly, a betrayal of the American people and the American taxpayers, who have suffered mightily in this country because of the illegal immigration crisis.

In closing, I simply ask the following of the American citizens who rely on Medicare or Medicaid: Should we allow illegal immigrants to dilute the quality of your benefits and run up costs in emergency rooms who are precluded from turning illegal immigrants away?

I say, along with my colleagues: Absolutely not. No tax dollars should be allocated to covering healthcare costs for any person who is in this country illegally.

To the American parents, whether rural or urban, who are struggling to feed your children, I ask: Should illegal immigrants receive tax- funded meals day in, day out to eat on your dime?

Again, I heartily say: Absolutely not.

To the children at risk of falling behind in lagging schools all over this country, I ask: Should we continue to allow millions upon millions to arrive here illegally and crowd out your classrooms?

I would say, again: Under no circumstances should we give public education dollars to any person or any family who is here illegally.

To the Social Security recipient I ask: Should we take on more debt and endanger your access to continued benefits just to keep our borders open?

With no hesitation, I again say: Absolutely not. We must protect the tax dollars of American citizens.

To the veterans who are battling homelessness or addiction or the western North Carolinians who are left without shelter following Hurricane Helene, I ask: Should your tax dollars go to housing illegal aliens, to transporting illegal aliens while you continually suffer?

Again, I say definitively: Under no circumstances is this appropriate.

I urge all of my colleagues in Congress to join me in reversing this perverse incentive structure by sending a clear message that the United States laws are to be respected. Put candidly, if you are here illegally, leave. If you return here illegally, you will be punished.

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