“It is unacceptable that millions of people are willingly breaking our laws and entering the country illegally every year. In a post-9/11 world, a nation without secure borders is not a great nation.“Tennesseans who work hard and play by the rules deserve better. They deserve a government that will keep them safe and enforce the rules.
“I propose this rule: Nothing and no one should enter this country, whether through our ports or our borders, unless the U.S. Government knows when, where and how. Right now, our Border Patrol is overworked and understaffed. So also is our National Guard.
“The National Guard always does its part. If the Guard is to support our Border Patrol, I call on the President to do his part by fully funding the National Guard and withdrawing his proposal to cut the Guard’s troop strength.
“We are a nation of opportunity and of laws. One does not work without the other. That is why amnesty for people who break the law is not an option.”
132 Days
Days of Congressional Inaction on Ethics
Above is the number of days that have passed since Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to bribing Congressman.
It is also the number of days in which Congress has failed to pass an ethics reform bill that would limit private travel, ski and golf junkets, and would call for a full disclosure of expenses by lobbyists on members of Congress.
It is time for Congress to step up and pass an ethics reform bill that would do all of the above. In addition, it is time to end the pork barrel spending system as we know it and establish an independent ethics commission that would review ethics complaints against members of Congress.
I am proud Congressman Harold Ford Jr. is fighting for that reform!
Read Congressman Ford's call for reform of the House rules here!
