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MY VISIT TO THE SOUTHERN BORDER WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP

When Vice President Kamala Harris claimed the Biden Administration, “made progress,” during his visit to our southern border last week, I was intrigued. I was appalled by what I saw when I visited the border in May and hopeful that the Biden Administration was finally taking this situation seriously.

That’s why I gladly accepted an invitation to return to the border with President Donald J. Trump. Unlike Vice President Harris who visited El Paso, we when the McAllen in the Rio Grande Valley which is the very epicenter of the crisis.

What I saw was just the opposite of progress. May marked a 21-year high of encounters with 180,034 illegal immigrants apprehended. Enough fentanyl has been seized this year to kill every American four times over. Cartels are making record profits with $14 million per day alone for human trafficking.

Vice President Harris and President Biden have no one to thank but themselves. The Presidents of Guatemala and Mexico have both cited their soft talk on immigration as a magnet for migrants. Halting construction of the border wall and repealing successful Trump-era policies such as “Remain in Mexico” and weakening the Title 42 public health ruling have only made things worse.

This is not just a national security crisis and a humanitarian crisis; it is a national embarrassment. We must put politics aside and come together to make it right.

Watch this week's Buddy's Briefing from Liberty Plaza in Atlanta where I discuss Biden Border Crisis and more:

from our nation's capitol CCCXIX

Monday, June 28, 2021: This past Saturday, I took part in the Effingham Heroes Parade and Freedom Rings Celebration held in Rincon to honor local veterans, law enforcement and first responders.

Rep. Buddy Carter at the Freedom Rings Parade and Festival

After the parade, we gathered in Freedom Park where a program was held featuring Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and honoring local resident Bernard Martin as veteran of the year. The celebration featured food trucks, vendors, games and music during the day and ended with a fireworks show later that night. Also Saturday afternoon, I had a television interview on Newsmax’s ‘The Count’ to discuss the controversial Critical Race Theory (CRT) being taught in our schools and military and to preview my upcoming trip to the border. A link to my interview can be found here. On Sunday afternoon, I had a virtual meeting with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority members to discuss their concerns regarding issues that affect our communities.

I’m up early this morning as I have a live television interview on Fox and Friends to discuss the origin of the COVID-19 virus and the Biden Administration’s politically motivated lawsuit against Georgia. A link to my interview can be found here. Later in the morning, I head to our Savannah District office where I have a meet and greet with Irish Consul General Ms. Ciara O’Flinn, who is joined by Dr. Howard Keely, director of the Center for Irish Research and Teaching at Georgia Southern University. Ms. O’Flinn is the new Atlanta based Consul General of Ireland for the Southeastern United States and has chosen Savannah, with its strong Irish traditions, for her first visit outside of Atlanta since she took office. After a delightful visit, I head to the airport for my trip to Washington. Once back in my office on Capitol Hill, I join in on a virtual Alliance for Health Policy Briefing to discuss policy options to balance prescription drug pricing before meeting with a representative from the American Conservative Union. Next, I head to our weekly Whip Team meeting before heading to the House Chamber for our first vote series of the week. Afterwards, I remain in the House Chamber where I address the Speaker and ask for the immediate consideration of H.R. 18, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. A link to my request can be found here. Remaining in the House Chamber, I speak during the special order on the Democrat’s anti second amendment agenda led by my Georgia delegation colleague, Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA). A link to my comments can be found here. My final event of the day is an Energy and Commerce (E&C) member meeting with former Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette.

Tuesday, June 29, 2021: I’m up early and at the airport this morning as I am heading to McAllen, TX, on the southern border with other members of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC) and former President Donald J. Trump to meet with Texas Governor Ken Abbott and law enforcement officials. Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris visited the border in El Paso (which is 800 miles from the epicenter of the problem located in McAllen) and reported that significant progress had been made in controlling the crisis. Having visited McAllen earlier this year, I witnessed the humanitarian and national security crisises that we have there and wanted to see for myself if indeed significant progress had been made. It had not. After a member meeting in the afternoon, we meet back up for a late-night trip to the border where we see groups of people coming across illegally and a few of what appear to be unaccompanied children. We also see rubber bracelets of different colors strewn across the ground and are told that the immigrants being smuggled across the border are required to wear these by the coyotes (a person who smuggles immigrants across the Mexico-U.S. border) as an indication of who has paid to be transported. We are told by authorities that coyotes are making $750 million a month transporting illegal immigrants. We return to our hotel around 2AM.

Buddy with Members of the Border Visit Delegation

Wednesday, June 30, 2021: Our first stop this morning is the Department of Public Safety (DPS) Headquarters in Weslaco for a roundtable briefing with President Trump, Texas Governor Ken Abbott and law enforcement officials to review the situation at the border. Afterwards, we head to the border wall where we see sections of a partially completed wall in the background as President Trump and Gov Abbott have a press conference.

Buddy at the Border Wall with President Trump

Next, we head to Edinburg where President Trump and Gov Abbot have a town hall meeting that is hosted by Sean Hannity and taped for a later broadcast. Afterwards, we head to the McAllen airport for a flight to Dallas and then on to Washington. During our flight from McAllen to Dallas, we have about 15-17 unaccompanied children on the plane with us who have been processed by Health and Human Services (HHS) and are being relocated throughout the U.S.

Thursday, July 1, 2021: After getting back to the Capitol at 2 this morning, my first meeting is with the Doctor’s Caucus as we hear from Dr. Mark Fendrick, Director of the Center for Value Based Insurance Design. Afterwards, I head back to my office where I have a live interview on Newsmax to discuss my experiences on the border trip with President Trump. A link to my interview can be found here. Next, I head to an E&C member meeting where we hear from my good friend, former Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Dr. Robert Redfield, concerning the origin of COVID-19. After our first and only vote series of the day, I remain in the House Chamber where I pay tribute to former Coastal Regional Development Center (RDC) Executive Director Vernon Martin, who passed recently. A link to my tribute can be found here. Next, I head to the Cannon Rotunda where I have a television interview with Nexstar (WSAV-TV Savannah) to discuss the tragic building collapse in Miami.

Buddy records his Independence Day Message

After recording a video celebrating Independence Day, I have lunch with our two interns this summer, Garrett Dalley from Dacula, GA, and Ivy English from Jackson, GA. Once back in my office, I have a radio interview with Breitbart Radio, followed by one on the Todd Starnes show and another one on the Austin Rhodes show in Augusta. All three of these are to discuss my trip to the border. I finish the day with our all staff conference call as we plan for what will be a very busy weekend for our office.

Friday, July 2, 2021: After spending four hours in the airport last night only to have my flight canceled, I’m on a 6 a.m. flight to Atlanta this morning and, once I arrive, I have a series of radio interviews beginning with Bill Edwards in Savannah, followed by Scott James in Valdosta, Lauren Nobles who’s filling in for Scott Ryfun in Brunswick and Martha Zoller in Gainesville. All of the interviews are about my trip to the border with President Trump. Later in the morning, I have a virtual call with Lumen (formerly CenturyLink) to discuss rural broadband followed by a call with Coast Guard Admiral Eric Jones who gives me an update on maritime issues in our district including the progress on the removal of the Golden Ray in the Brunswick Harbor. My last interview of the week is on the Chris Salcedo Show on Newsmax as I discuss my border trip with President Trump. A link to my interview can be found here.