On the House floor on Wednesday, Rep. Chip Roy (Texas) sharply criticized his fellow Republicans for what he claimed was their lack of action on border security. He accused them of breaking their campaign promises.
Roy questioned other GOP members during his speech a day before Texas Independence Day, when settlers formally proclaimed their independence from Mexico, and asked them why they had fought for independence.
“A federal government that allows cartels access to our borders?” Roy uttered. “A group of Republicans who promise to secure the border but flee in utter capitulation, refusing to do it?”
Since he was elected in 2019, Roy, who represents a district that encompasses portions of both San Antonio and Austin, has concentrated on border security problems. Republicans would not inspire the public to vote for them again if they did not follow through on their promises to address the border issue, he said.
He continued, “You are giving up every argument you have for the American people to put their faith in you if you do not secure the border now – now. If my Republican colleagues think that they will be passing largely insignificant items that accomplish very little for the same people who elected us to change things, they are gravely incorrect.
Republican candidates for the House in 2022 made border security one of their core pledges. They subsequently won the House back with a narrow majority in the November elections. Yet, with a Democratic-controlled Senate and President Biden in the White House, Republicans’ current position in border security is one of federal government monitoring.
Roy suggested in January that Republicans would attempt to cut funding to the Department of Homeland Security, which has drawn criticism from conservatives for how it has handled the southern border. Republicans may have an opportunity to secure border policy concessions from Democrats and the White House in the next battle to raise the federal debt ceiling.