IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson published an op-ed Thursday expressing frustration for the way the Biden Administration is handling the ongoing migrant crisis.
“This crisis no longer only affects the states that border Mexico – every state has become a border state.”
Congressman Mike Simpson
After a border security bill failed to pass in the Senate earlier this month, many Americans are asking, “What’s next?” In an interview, Congressman Simpson elaborated on the reasons the border bill was not a success and what the next steps might look like.
“The bill they negotiated had some important provisions in it that I think most Republicans agree with,” he said. “Unfortunately, there was parts of it that we strongly disagree with. I suspect what you’re going to have is the Republicans write a bill, put it back in the emergency spending, and send it back over to the Senate here before too long.”
The initial bill included substantial aid for Ukraine and Israel. Collectively, these countries were to receive over $80 billion, while $20 billion was to be allocated towards securing the southern U.S. border. Simpson believes the government’s monetary priority is wrong. He has the same impression about investing in illegal immigrants instead of Americans in some major U.S. cities.
“I would rather spend that money on the Veterans’ Homeless Program because we’ve got vets that have served our country living on the streets,” Simpson said. “We ought to be able to address some of those needs within our country before we start spending all this money somewhere else.”
