Tipsheet

Chip Roy Issues a Challenge to Republicans As Government Shutdown Looms

Texas Republican Congressman Chip Roy is issuing a challenge to fellow GOP members as the clock ticks down to the end of September 2023 when federal government funding expires. 

The new challenge comes after Roy and 14 other Texas representatives signed a letter demanding funding for the Department of Homeland Security be halted until the border crisis is taken seriously by the Biden administration. 

"The State of Texas is bearing the brunt of a national crisis at our southern border directly resulting from the unlawful and irresponsible actions of President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas. Criminal cartels maintain operational control of the border. Migrants are dying on Texas ranches and along the Rio Grande. Little children are enslaved in the sex-trafficking trade – the tragic story for hundreds of thousands brought to light in the 'The Sound of Freedom,'" the lawmakers recently wrote in a letter to House colleagues. "Fences are being cut, livestock are escaping, ranchers are threatened, and high-speed chases are tearing through small towns. Perhaps most deadly, dangerous fentanyl is pouring into our communities via an open border – empowering China and cartels while killing 200 Americans per day."

"As a consequence, Governor Abbott has been forced to use Texas’ limited resources to do at least part of the job the federal government refuses – and the Texas Legislature has had to appropriate nearly $10 billion through Operation Lonestar and related efforts. Rather than reimburse Texas for its efforts, which benefit all Americans, the Biden administration has filed suit against our state citing “humanitarian concerns,” purposefully ignoring the humanitarian crisis of its own making," the letter continues. 

"Simply put, no member of Congress should agree to fund a federal agency at war with his state and people. We have a moral obligation to protect our states, our nation, and, importantly, the migrant children getting abused from the disaster transpiring at our southern border," the lawmakers concluded. "No border security, no funding."