A group of Republican lawmakers gave on Wednesday a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune demanding they prioritize a series of initiatives to help the Donald Trump administration hit the ground running on January 20.
Immigration enforcement is at the top of the list: "House and Senate Republicans now have a responsibility to do everything we can to help the President fulfill the promises he made to the American people. One of those promises was to secure our borders and restore the integrity of our nation's immigration system after four years of President Biden's open border policies," the letter begins.
Aware of their slim majority in both chambers, they go on to urge the leaders to consider a "two-step reconciliation process" as it gives them "the best chance of securing passage of this transformational border security legislation.
The signatories, including Sens. Rick Scott, Lindsey Graham, and Ron Johnson, say the first bill should fully provide funding to "complete and strengthen the border wall started during President Trump's first term," hire "thousands of additional Customs and Border Protection officers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers," as well as "ensure a substantial increase in the number of ICE and CBP detention and short-term holding facilities."
The American people gave President Trump a mandate to secure the border, unleash our economy and cut wasteful spending with @DOGE.
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) December 18, 2024
Congress must do everything we can to help Trump starting on DAY ONE.
Here’s how we get it done ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/hqTwz4Wu13
Lawmakers believe Congress should also "encourage self-deportation by imposing significant financial penalties on aliens illegally in the United States," heavily limit welfare benefits for non-citizens.
The second one, they added, "should primarily be focused on preventing the massive tax increase that automatically takes effect on January 1, 2026." "Allowing that scenario to occur would undo the major economic benefits the country has enjoyed as a result of the landmark Trump Tax Cuts."
The letter ends by recommending the bill reduce the deficit by including spending reforms and cuts, including "repealing the green tax credits in Democrats' so-called 'Inflation Reduction Act" and $2.5 trillion "worth of cuts that the Department of Government Efficiency will identify as necessary to restore the fiscal health of the nation."
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