Media

Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Jim Baird (IN-04) voted against H.R. 2872, the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, also known as a Continuing Resolution (CR), due to President Biden’s failure to secure the border. 

“We cannot continue business as usual in Washington while cartels and criminals have control of our southern border,” said Rep. Baird. “I visited the border earlier this month and saw first-hand how dire the situation has become. Every day, dozens of Americans die of drug overdoses, and many fall victim to human trafficking because of this serious lapse in our national security. President Biden’s open-border policies have turned every state into a border state. We must see transformative change on the border issue and a real commitment to border security if we are to move forward as a country.”

On January 2nd, Congressman Baird visited the southern border with a delegation led by Speaker Mike Johnson. The Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act passed by a vote of 314 to 108.

Border Security by the Numbers:

• According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), there have been 8 million illegal crossings nationwide and 6.7 million encounters at the southern border over the past three years.

• Encounters at the southern border in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 increased by more than 40% since FY2021 and more than 100% compared to FY2023.

• In FY2023, 169 individuals whose names appear on the terrorist watchlist were stopped trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

• In FY2023, CBP arrested 35,433 migrants with criminal convictions or outstanding warrants.

• In FY2023, CBP seized 27,293 pounds of fentanyl at the southern border – enough to kill more than 6 billion people.

• Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans 18-49.