We Cannot Allow Criminal Cartels to Operate With Impunity
By Cong. August Pfluger
Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON, D.C. – At the beginning of this year our national debt reached $31.38 trillion. Since the Great Depression, federal deficits have become more common than surpluses – and as a result, today American Taxpayers are facing the brunt of this growing debt in the form of rising interest rates and inflation, which makes the dollars in Americans’ wallets less valuable.
For the first time since World War II, the federal public debt has reached 100% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), meaning the federal government will soon owe more in debt than the annual size of the American economy.
That number is projected to double to 200% by 2050, when our net interest payments will be the single largest budget item, exceeding the size of Social Security and Medicare.
A balanced budget is needed now more than ever. We must protect our children’s future, rein in reckless spending, and hold our nation’s leaders accountable.
That number is projected to double to 200% by 2050, when our net interest payments will be the single largest budget item, exceeding the size of Social Security and Medicare.A balanced budget is needed now more than ever. We must protect our children’s future, rein in reckless spending, and hold our nation’s leaders accountable.
Today, I am proud to introduce a Balanced Budget Amendment for the federal government. Across America, families are forced to make hard decisions to follow their budgets and live within their means, and the federal government should operate the same way. My legislation will end out-of-control spending.
We Cannot Allow Criminal Cartels to Operate With Impunity
This week, I held a House Homeland Security Subcommittee Hearing over the topic of Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and the threat they pose to the United States by way of our open southern border. TCOs are groups or networks of individuals who engage in illegal activities across national borders. They engage in a multi-faceted criminal enterprise from drug trafficking, human trafficking, human smuggling, and other criminal acts.
Organized crime is a massive business. In fact, it is a multi-billion dollar business.
- Watch the full hearing by clicking here.
These cartels purchase precursor chemicals from China, which are shipped to South America and Mexico, and use those precursors to produce fentanyl and even process that fentanyl into counterfeit prescription pills. The cartels then traffic these drugs from Mexico into the United States for distribution.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Mexican TCOs, in particular, control smuggling corridors, mainly across the southwest border, and maintain “the greatest drug trafficking influence” in the United States.
In fact, fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 to 45, and the scourge of fentanyl has hit every single one of our communities.In February, two of my constituents lost their son, Jackson Lee Warnick, age 17, to fentanyl poisoning.
Jackson’s parents had to live through a nightmare that no parent should ever have to endure. Since then, Jackson’s family has been working tirelessly across the Permian Basin to share their son’s story to help educate folks on the dangers posed by synthetic opioids.
Cartels are also beginning to mix fentanyl with xylazine — a powerful sedative that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has permitted for veterinary use — causing fatal overdoses across the country. I have introduced legislation to crack down on illicit uses of Xylazine while protecting its critical purpose in agriculture and veterinary medicine.
I will continue to fight to secure our southern border and communities.
Senior Biden DHS Official Doesn't Know the Number of Illegal Immigrant Crossings
During a House Homeland Security Committee hearing this week, I asked President Bien's Assistant Secretary for Border & Immigration Policy about the number of illegal migrant crossings at the southern border. He could not give me a straight answer.
It's extremely distressing that top officials charged with border security are not even tracking the crisis properly. We deserve a government that is laser-focused on protecting our homeland. With no consequences, there is chaos.
I will continue holding the administration's feet to the fire in solving the border crisis.
Congressman August Pfluger represents a total of 20 Counties in Texas’ 11th Congressional District – including the cities of San Angelo, Llano, Brownwood, Granbury, Midland, Odessa, and much of the Permian Basin... the top Oil & Gas Rroducing Region in America.
