Manatee Review

WASHINGTON – The U.S. House has passed four proposals put forth by Congressman Vern Buchanan, as part of the Fiscal Year 2024 homeland security funding package. These initiatives, aimed at addressing illegal immigration, securing the border, combating human trafficking, and bolstering disaster preparedness, build upon Buchanan’s prior successful amendments passed earlier this week.

Highlighting the urgent need to protect American communities, Buchanan emphasized the detrimental effects of illegal immigration, including crime, human trafficking, and the influx of deadly fentanyl. He stated, “From crime and human trafficking to deadly fentanyl pouring across our border in record amounts, we must protect our communities from the tidal wave of illegal immigration endangering the lives of the American people. While the president refuses to find solutions to our illegal immigration problem, these two initiatives were introduced with one goal in mind – securing the border.”

One of Buchanan’s proposals entails allocating $3 million to the Department of Homeland Security for the enhancement of physical technology, such as drones, security cameras, and the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI), to effectively monitor the border. This investment in cutting-edge technology is crucial in light of the staggering number of illegal border crossings. In August 2023 alone, over 232,000 individuals attempted to cross the southern border, averaging nearly 6,000 per day. Since President Biden assumed office, there have been over 6 million encounters at the southern border, in addition to nearly 1.6 million known instances of individuals successfully evading U.S. Border Patrol.

The second proposal focuses on border security and aims to allocate $3 million to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for the enhancement of opioid detection technology. The current fiscal year has witnessed CBP seizing 25,901 pounds of fentanyl at the southern border – a quantity sufficient to cause the deaths of approximately six billion people. Buchanan's legislative efforts align closely with the Federal Initiative to Guarantee Health by Targeting (FIGHT) Fentanyl Act (H.R.3629), which passed the U.S. House earlier this year. The act seeks to permanently classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs, enabling law enforcement to combat the scourge of deadly fentanyl effectively.

Buchanan’s contributions to the homeland security funding bill also include an amendment that allocates $2 million to bolster investigations for missing and exploited children. Recognizing human trafficking as a form of modern-day slavery, Buchanan expressed the importance of reuniting children who have fallen victim to this heinous crime with their families. Earlier this year, Buchanan introduced legislation aimed at combating human trafficking by educating students about identifying warning signs. Disturbingly, children constitute over half of all trafficking victims.

With respect to disaster preparedness, Buchanan’s provision in the spending bill advocates for increased investments in pre-disaster mitigation efforts. The amendment, introduced in collaboration with fellow Florida Republican Congressmen Neal Dunn and Gus Bilirakis, emphasizes the critical need for thorough preparation in the face of natural disasters. Buchanan remarked, “This hurricane season has already left the state of Florida with extensive damage, and it’s not over yet. Thorough preparation is the best tool we have to endure the wrath of a storm, and this amendment highlights the need for the federal government to take pre-disaster mitigation seriously.”

The passing of these four proposals marks significant progress in fortifying the border, addressing human trafficking, and bolstering disaster preparedness. Congressman Vern Buchanan continues to champion initiatives that prioritize the safety and well-being of American communities.

For more information on these initiatives, please visit: https://buchanan.house.gov/2023/9/u-s-house-approves-four-more-buchanan-initiatives