Washington, D.C. – House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik joined House Republican leadership and reiterated her call for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s resignation over his stunning lack of transparency. Stefanik also highlighted the impact that the Biden border crisis is having on America and the need to impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
View the transcript of her remarks below.
“Good morning everyone. Welcome back. 2024 is already off to a very busy start.
I want to begin by addressing the shocking actions and lack of transparency from the Department of Defense. It is absolutely unacceptable that the Pentagon waited multiple days to notify the President of the United States, the National Security Council, and the American people that Defense Secretary Austin was hospitalized and unable to perform his duties. I represent Fort Drum - home of the most deployed division in the U.S. Army since 9/11. There are currently thousands of 10th Mountain Division Soldiers deployed in the Middle East. And while those brave Servicemembers were under attack by Iranian-backed terrorists, the Secretary of Defense was in the ICU. The Deputy Secretary of Defense was on vacation, and Joe Biden and the White House were completely unaware. In the chain of command, the Secretary of Defense serves as the connection through which the President commands and controls our armed forces. There will be a Congressional investigation, already launched by HASC Chairman Mike Rogers, into this dangerous dereliction of duty, and there must be full accountability beginning, I believe, with the immediate resignation of Secretary Austin and anyone who lied for him.
I now want to turn our attention to Joe Biden's border crisis which continues to be the number one concern, certainly of constituents in my district and one of the top concerns of Americans across the country. Last week, over 60 House Republicans went to Texas, led by the Speaker of the House, to see first hand the catastrophe that Joe Biden’s open border policies have created. And it's not just in Texas. In Upstate New York where my district shares a border with Canada, overworked border patrol agents are being overwhelmed there by a flux of illegal immigrants from 79 different countries, just recently, apprehending an Iranian national with clear terrorist ties. Since Joe Biden stepped into the Oval Office, there have been over eight million illegal crossings. Last month, more than 300,000 illegal immigrants poured into our country setting the record for the most monthly encounters in history. As President Ronald Reagan historically said, “A nation that cannot control its borders is not a nation.” Every day that Joe Biden and Secretary Mayorkas refuse to secure our borders they fail the American people, sacrificing our nation’s safety, security, and sovereignty. And while Joe Biden and Democrats refuse to act, House Republicans have taken action, passing the strongest border security bill in American history, H.R.2, the Secure the Border Act, and we voted for significant year-over-year funding increases for our courageous Border Patrol and ICE agents.
As we speak, House Republicans on the Homeland Committee are beginning the impeachment process of Secretary Mayorkas for refusing to do his job and refusing to uphold the law.”
