Tommy Tuberville blames NATO expansion for war between Ukraine and Russia
On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) spoke with the members of the Alabama press corps on why he is opposing more aid for Ukraine. “Next week, the Senate will be voting on more money for Ukraine,” Tuberville said. “You know we have already given them more than $100 billion. There has been very little transparency about where all this money has gone. $100 billion is more than enough. We need the money and the weapons here in our country.” Alabama Today asked Tuberville if he was concerned about reports that leaders of the Baltic states have expressed concerns that if Russia wins the war with Ukraine or appears to have won the war, Russian troops could be crossing their borders in the years to come. “First of all, you have got to look back at what caused this conflict,” Tuberville answered. “What caused this conflict is the United States expanding NATO from all the way from inner central Europe all the way almost now to Ukraine. They have pushed Ukraine into being in NATO. President Putin said that is not going to happen. We are not going to allow the United States basically to be on our border. That is the reason he is fighting this war.” Tuberville said that he would oppose efforts to tie aid to help Israel in its war with Hamas to the President’s aid package for Ukraine. “Democrats want to tie aid to Israel to Ukraine,” Tuberville said. “These two wars have nothing to do with each other. Israel is our formal ally. Ukraine is not. I support the Ukrainian people, but leadership means setting priorities. What’s our goal?” Tuberville suggested that dealing with the crisis on the U.S./Mexico border is a greater concern than the war between Israel and Ukraine. “Before we help other countries, we need to help ourselves,” Tuberville stated. “So we have got a crisis on our southern border like we have never seen in the history of our country. More than six million illegal border crossings since Joe Biden took office. One hundred thousand people dying every year from drugs that come from Mexico. More than 300 people on the terror watch list have been caught since Joe Biden took office. It is frightening to think about how many people we haven’t caught. We don’t know who is here.” Tuberville claimed that the U.S. could end the war in Ukraine. “We could have had this over with, but the United States for some reason, this administration wants it to continue to happen.” Tuberville acknowledged that there was a possibility of a broader conflict in which the U.S. would be directly involved. “I am very concerned of spending money and us getting into a conflict that we don’t need to get in,” Tuberville added, Tuberville said the U.S. needs to change border policies to address the border crisis effectively. “This week, Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas said we need to take these people plus twelve million illegals that are already here,” Tuberville continued. “If Democrats want more foreign aid, they had better fix the border first. Democrats say they are willing to spend more money at the border, but they are not willing to change the policy at the border, so it doesn’t make any difference. If you don’t change the policy, all the money is going to be wasted if we send it down there.” Tuberville said that he is going to continue to prioritize the border and aid for Israel. “I am going to be fighting to secure our border and support our ally, Israel, but stop sending our weapons and money to Ukraine,” Tuberville stated. “Let’s get our own house in order before we help anybody else.” Tommy Tuberville has served in the Senate representing Alabama since 2020 after a four-decade career as a teacher, coach, and sports broadcaster. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Homeland Security Chair blasts Joe Biden as Coast Guard catches more migrants
By Casey Harper | The Center Square President Joe Biden is under fire after a new report that the number of illegal immigrants caught by the Coast Guard trying to enter the U.S has doubled in recent years. That data came from Heather MacLeod, director of Homeland Security and Justice at the Government Accountability Office during a hearing this week. “The Coast Guard interdicted more than 12,000 migrants in both fiscal year 2022 and 2023 – more than double the fiscal year 2021 total, according to Coast Guard data,” MacLeod said in prepared testimony. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., responded to The Center Square’s reporting on the increased interdictions, saying President Biden’s immigration policies are endangering U.S. servicemembers. “Historic numbers of encounters at our Southwest border are certainly the main driver of this unprecedented crisis, but they aren’t the only one,” Green told The Center Square. “Illegal aliens also try to take advantage of America’s maritime borders. This route is incredibly dangerous for not only the aliens, but also the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard and the Air and Marine Operations officers tasked with interdicting the flow of illegal immigration and deadly narcotics along these routes.” Green blasted Biden for the illegal immigration crisis, which has soared since Biden took office with about ten million illegal immigrants entering the U.S. since January of 2021. “Every day, the Coast Guard plays a crucial role in securing our waterways, and it is unconscionable that Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and President Biden continue to make their job harder through their policies of mass catch-and-release that have encouraged more individuals to attempt this route, and emboldened the cartels to traffic more drugs,” Green said. MacLeod said the U.S. should expect that number to rise. While land crossings make up the vast majority of migrant crossings, water transport could allow groups to ship bigger quantities of illicit drugs. “Every year, thousands of people attempt to migrate via maritime routes, many utilizing services of organized smuggling operations and often in dangerously overloaded, unseaworthy, or otherwise unsafe vessels,” Rear Admiral Jo-Ann Burdian, Assistant Commandant for Response Policy (CG-5R) for the U.S. Coast Guard, testified at the same hearing. “Many of the migrant interdiction cases handled by the Coast Guard begin as search and rescue missions. “The Coast Guard employs cutters, boats, fixed-wing aircraft, and helicopters to identify and interdict migrant vessels as far from U.S. shores as possible,” Burdian added. In one 2021 case, the Department of Justice announced that six Colombian nationals had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to use “narco-submarines” to ship nearly 20,000 kilos of cocaine to the Sinola Cartel in the U.S. MacLeod testified that the number of migrants attempting to enter the U.S. by sea will likely continue to rise. “From fiscal years 2011 through 2020, drug interdiction accounted for 13 percent of [the U.S. Coast Guard’s] estimated operating expenses, migrant interdiction 8 percent, and other law enforcement 2 percent, which includes preventing IUU fishing,” MacLeod said. “The operating expenses of these three missions annually averaged more than $1.5 billion over this time period.” The U.S. Coast Guard works with DHS and the Department of Defense to stop the flow of illicit drugs into the U.S.. Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Daniel Webster, R-Fla., led the hearing this week and pointed out the dangers to the migrants attempting these water voyages as well as the Americans being poisoned by drugs like fentanyl, which has killed tens of thousands of Americans in recent years. “The Coast Guard is our nation’s premier maritime law enforcement agency and is actively engaged in countering illicit maritime activity,” Webster said in his opening remarks at the hearing. “This includes stopping the flow of illegal drugs to our shores, interdicting illegal maritime migration, and protecting the environment through efforts to curb illegal fishing.” Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Illegal border crossers total over 10 million since Biden inauguration
By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor More than 10 million people have been reported illegally entering the United States since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, the greatest number in history and of any administration. They total more than the individual populations of 41 states. The number of people illegally entering the country surged after Biden and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas halted many preexisting border security policies, advanced sweeping parole and other policies to release the greatest number of illegal foreign nationals into the country, encouraged people from all over the world to use a phone app to enter the U.S., and facilitated U.S. entry application processes in foreign countries, among others. Official U.S. Customs and Border Protection data includes 3,201,144 apprehensions in fiscal 2023; 2,766,582 in fiscal 2022; 1,956,519 in fiscal 2021; and 471,954 in the nine months Biden was in office in fiscal 2020. CBP’s fiscal year is from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30. Combined, official apprehensions total 8,396,199. They exclude gotaway data, which CBP does not report publicly. The Center Square has been reporting preliminary gotaway data solely reported by Border Patrol agents at the southwest border. The information is obtained from a Border Patrol agent who provides it and other information on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. Since January 2021, a minimum estimate of nearly 1.7 million gotaways have illegally entered the U.S. Based on earlier projections and including Office of Field Operations data, former CBP chief Mark Morgan told The Center Square the gotaway data is likely to reach or exceed one million for fiscal 2023 alone. In fiscal 2021, there were at least 308,655 known, reported gotaways; in fiscal 2022, 606,150 were reported. According to preliminary data obtained by The Center Square, Border Patrol agents reported at least 769,174 gotaways at the southwest border alone. This number excludes OFO data, gotaway data at the northern border and other CBP ports of entry nationwide. The Center Square has not yet received total internal gotaway numbers. However, even those are considered a best estimate because they exclude unknown and unreported gotaways, those who illegally enter undetected – meaning, the number is likely much higher. Law enforcement officials have said they have no idea how many gotaways there are in the U.S., or who or where they are. Combined, the minimum estimated known, reported gotaways from Jan. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2023 is at least 1,678,979. Since January 2021, total illegal border crossers apprehended nationwide were 8,396,198. Combined with at least 1,678,979 gotaways, the number increases to over 10 million (at least 10,075,177). This is greater than the individual populations of 41 states. The only states with an estimated population greater than the number of illegal border crossers are California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia and North Carolina. They edged ahead of Michigan’s estimated population of 10,030,722. The total number of illegal border crossers during the period equates to 25% of California’s population, 33% of Texas’ population, 44% of Florida’s population and nearly 52% of New York’s population. They’re equivalent to over 17 Wyomings; over 15 Vermonts; nearly 14 Alaskas; and nearly 13 North Dakotas. They total nearly ten Delawares, the home state of the president. Among them are 1,586 known, suspected terrorists (KSTs) who were apprehended in fiscal years 2020-2023. In fiscal 2023, CBP agents apprehended the greatest number of KSTs – 736 – in a single year in U.S. history. They also apprehended the greatest number of criminal noncitizens in U.S. history, totaling nearly 50,000. This number excludes the tens of thousands of criminal noncitizens arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and an unknown number arrested by local and state law enforcement officers. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Reps. Robert Aderholt and Dale Strong endorse Jim Jordan
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) could be the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives as early as Tuesday. A floor event is expected as early as Tuesday afternoon. Jordan is the Republican Party nominee for Speaker of the House, but will 217 Republicans vote for him? All six of Alabama’s Republican Congressmen are supporting Jordan. On Monday, Congressman Dale Strong (R-AL05) announced his support for the sometimes polarizing Jordan. “From day 1, I’ve called for a conservative Speaker who will prioritize fighting Biden’s failed policies,” Strong said on X. “From cutting spending, to securing our border— the American people want Congress to get to work. Jim Jordan is the right man to lead our conference as Speaker of the House.” Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-AL04) also publicly announced he is backing Jordan. “I told @Jim_Jordan on Friday that I fully support him to be the 56th Speaker of the House,” Aderholt announced X. Congressman Mike Rogers (R-AL03) made national headlines on Friday when he announced his angry opposition to Jordan’s bid for the Speaker’s gavel. Less than 48 hours later, Rogers flipped his vote from never Jordan to being a supporter. On Monday, former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-California) came out and urged Republicans to get behind Jordan to end this chaos in Congress. “It’s one thing to get elected. It’s another thing to govern,” McCarthy said. “It’s time to get the House out of this tailspin, come together, and get America back on the right track. @Jim_Jordan can do it.” The previous nominee, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana), failed to cobble together the 217 votes needed to win the seat and withdrew rather than being rejected in a floor vote. McCarthy lost 15 floor votes before being selected in June. McCarthy was ultimately toppled when eight disgruntled Republicans led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) voted with Democrats to oust McCarthy as Speaker. While Jordan appears to have united the Republican Conference, it only takes a handful of GOP holdouts to undo his bid, given the GOP’s narrow majority in the House. If he wins, it could take multiple rounds of voting for Jordan to win the Speakership. Congressman Barry Moore (R-AL02), who has been an outspoken supporter of Jordan, is eager for the House to vote. “I look forward to casting my vote for Jim Jordan as the 56th Speaker of the House tomorrow,” Rep. Moore said on X Monday. “Let’s get this done and get back to work for the American people.” Congressmen Gary Palmer (R-AL06) and Jerry Carl (R-AL01) both are also publicly backing Jordan. Whoever is elected as Speaker will be immediately confronted with enormous problems within a very short period. Congress failed to pass a budget for the 2024 fiscal year, which began on October 1. The federal government is operating on a 45-day continuing resolution (C.R.). Congress has until November 14 to send either a budget or another C.R. to President Joe Biden’s desk that he will sign or face a partial government shutdown in an increasingly shaky economy. This side trip into Washington power politics has also left the armed forces in a lurch. Not only is the military operating without a budget, but both Houses have passed competing versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA is stuck in a conference committee while the military faces unprecedented threats from China, Russia, and Iran. In his role as House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Jordan has been focused on investigating Biden’s administration and his son Hunter Biden’s questionable financial dealings. Those investigations and a possible impeachment of the President and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have moved to the background while the Congress has been engulfed in its power struggle. If Jordan is selected as Speaker, his role will change from being the House GOP’s chief prosecutor to its chief negotiator with the Democratic-controlled Senate and President Biden. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan announce bids to replace Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House
By Casey Harper | The Center Square House Judiciary Chair Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La, both announced Wednesday their bid to replace Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as Speaker of the House. A vote for a new Speaker is reportedly not expected until Oct. 11, giving lawmakers about a week to plan their next move. McCarthy, who was pushed out after striking a deal with Democrats to keep the government open, said he does not plan to run again for the position. “I think Matt has planned this all along,” McCarthy told reporters. “It didn’t matter what transpired. He would’ve done it if we were in shutdown or not.” Scalise’s and Jordan’s announcement comes after a handful of House Republicans joined Democrats to oust Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from his role as Speaker of the House, the first time Congress has ever done so. Now, the House has until mid-November to elect a new Speaker and pass some kind of spending measure or face a government shutdown. Scalise sent a letter to House Republicans asking for their support. “Our strength as a Conference comes from our unity, and we have seen when we unite as a Conference, we can deliver wins for the American people,” the letter said. “Now we need to take those unified positions and work to extract conservative wins from the Democrat Senate and White House by leveraging upcoming deadlines. While we need to be realistic about what can be achieved, if we stay united, we can preserve leverage for the House to secure tangible wins in our impending policy fights.” Jordan sent a similar letter to his fellow Republicans asking for their support. “We must address rising crime in major cities and reject soft-on-crime, pro-criminal policies,” the letter said. “We must get our fiscal house in order and reduce spending so that we can leave more to the next generation than a crushing deficit. We must do our constitutional oversight of the federal bureaucracy to ensure they work for the American people not the other way around. And we must continue working to secure the border and protect our national security. “I respectfully ask for your support for Speaker of the House of Representatives,” the letter added. Jordan’s move was welcomed by some Republicans like Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who filed the motion to oust McCarthy. “We should get to electing a new, more conservative and more trustworthy Speaker immediately,” Gaetz wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I’m calling on [Patrick McHenry] who is currently the Speaker Pro Tem, to reconsider the decision that he just made to send everyone in Congress home for a week. This is not the time to go home for a week. We should stay and elect a new Speaker.” Other potential frontrunners to replace McCarthy include Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla, who suggested he might run. Some lawmakers spoke out to make clear they are not running. “While I appreciate the confidence of some colleagues and their request that I step into the Speaker race, my team and I have been doing important work on the Homeland Security Committee – and we still have much more to do to hold President [Joe] Biden and Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas for one of the worst national security failures in the history of the country,” Rep. Mark Green, chair of the Homeland Security Committee, wrote on X. “Therefore, I am not throwing my name into the race,” he added. With the existing divide in the party, it may be impossible for any Speaker to be successful. “The most important issue facing the next House speaker is soaring federal debt pushing the nation to the brink of fiscal disaster,” Chris Edwards, an expert at the Cato Institute, told The Center Square. “Interest rates on 10-year government bonds have shot up far above projections to 4.8 percent and rising, which will raise the burden of accumulated debt to crushing levels. “America needs a new House speaker – and presidential candidates – who put spending restraint and debt reduction as top national priorities,” he added. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
