Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently made a national television appearance to advocate for Congress's approval of emergency supplemental funding. The Republican leadership has stalled the funds, demanding that the Biden administration address what they perceive as critical issues on the southwestern border. However, Mayorkas argues that the funding would provide solutions in the form of technological advancements and additional manpower.
Mayorkas emphasized his department's needs during his television interview, stating, "We need additional resources. We need them now and that is why @POTUS submitted a supplemental funding package quite some time ago." He continued by outlining specific areas where these resources are needed: "We need additional personnel to advance our security at the border," he said. "We need technology to advance our fight against fentanyl. We need additional asylum officers to really accelerate the asylum adjudication process, so people are not waiting six years before they receive their results, which is, in effect, a pull factor."
In December, according to a Department of Defense news release, a $250 million assistance package was announced to aid Ukraine with artillery and anti-tank weapons, as well as air defense capabilities in their effort to fend off Russian invasion.
President Biden expressed support for Ukraine saying, "The brave people in Ukraine have defied [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's will at every turn, backed by the strong and unwavering support of the United States and our allies and partners in more than 50 nations in Europe and the Indo-Pacific," adding that "Ukraine will emerge from this war proud, free and firmly rooted in the West unless we walk away."
Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson voiced concerns about southern border security in a letter written to President Biden last December. "On average, more than 8,400 illegal aliens entered our country every single day over the last year," Johnson wrote. "While those numbers are shocking, they are projected to be even worse in FY2024. Just this week, the record for illegal crossings in a single day was broken yet again."
