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Today, the Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing with TikTok CEO Shou Chew to expose the threat TikTok poses to our national and personal security. Americans deserve to know how much their privacy is jeopardized, and their data is manipulated by ByteDance-owned TikTok’s relationship with China. As Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) said this morning:  “Banning your platform will address the immediate threats. Make no mistake, this Committee is looking to the future too. America needs to be prepared to stop the next technological tool or weapon China will use for its own strategic gain.   “We must prevent any app, website, and platform like TikTok from ever spying on Americans again, and we must provide the strongest protections possible for our children. That is why this Committee is leading on a national privacy and data security standard.”  Don’t miss these top moments: CLICK HERE to watch the full hearing.   CLICK HERE for more tweets from Energy and Commerce Republicans. 

TikTok CEO Shou Chew will appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee tomorrow to testify about TikTok’s consumer privacy and data security practices, the platform’s impact on kids, and its relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) jointly spoke with Fox News’ Bret Baier about the national privacy standard they are leading on together to prevent any app, website, and platform like TikTok from ever spying on Americans again. THE IMPORTANCE OF TOMORROW’S HEARING “This hearing has been long overdue. This will be the first time the CEO of TikTok, Mr. Chew, has been before any congressional committee. “It's very important that he answer for some of the repeated lies that we know about TikTok and their association with ByteDance and ultimately the Chinese Communist Party. “[We have] growing concerns about the threat that this platform, this app poses in the United States of America but also it highlights the concerns around other technological tools or weapons that China may use for their own strategic future and that's why we are joining together. “We believe it's very important that we hold TikTok accountable but also make sure that any app or platform is ultimately protecting individual Americans’ privacy and making sure that Americans are protected from harm and our children are protected from harm.” TIKTOK’s CONNECTION WITH BYTEDANCE AND THE CCP “It is clear that TikTok will say anything to ensure that it is not banned in the United States of America.” “They have said that they're not surveilling on Americans or spying on Americans and yet now we know that they were used. ByteDance used TikTok to spy on American journalists. “We know that they continue to say that their data is not going back to China and that this walled off from the Chinese Communist Party and yet we now have recordings of employees at TikTok that say that everything is seen by China.” A NATIONAL DATA PRIVACY STANDARD “There is a lot of common ground and I think the fact that Mr. Chew is going directly to the TikTok users in America, that 150 million Americans [use it], now only underscores the importance of us taking action, because Americans’ data privacy is not protected. “This platform can also be used to manipulate what people see or hear or think. “It all points to the importance of us passing a larger national privacy standard, as Mr. Pallone is joining me to [achieve], because we believe this is a clarion call as to the need for a national data privacy standard to minimize the amount of data that TikTok, Big Tech, or other data brokers are collecting to begin with, to make sure that Americans are alerted when their data is being used or stored or transferred over to countries like China and to protect our kids for those under 17. “The legislation that we propose would make it illegal to track our kids online and to make sure that private conversations are actually private, that apps and devices would be prohibited from listening to our private conversations when we haven't given them permission. “This is all really important and we need to ban TikTok and we need to pass a national data privacy law.” CLICK HERE to watch Thursday’s hearing.

Americans are currently struggling to afford some of the highest energy prices in decades. President Biden’s rush-to-green policies have led to skyrocketing prices across the board—from electricity and oil to natural gas. This is not a path we can afford to continue down.  FAST FACTS on Rising Household Prices   More than one-third of U.S. households say they reduced or skipped basic expenses, such as medicine or food, to pay an energy bill in 2022.  The cost for an average household has risen approximately $10,000 in the two years since President Biden took office.  At a roundtable in January, Donna Jackson, the Director of Membership Development at Project 21, described how President Biden’s agenda is hurting low- and middle-income Americans the most.  Here’s what she said:  “ In so many ways, plentiful and affordable domestic energy is part of the ticket out of poverty and dependence. For example, we see the entrepreneurial spirit of the Black community in many Black- owned small businesses, but those business struggle and sometimes fail under the weight of expensive energy."   […]   “Every extra penny struggling households have to spend on expensive energy is a penny we can’t save for home ownership or our children’s education or other things that can help lift up the next generation.”   WATCH Donna Jackson’s full testimony.  CLICK HERE to read Donna Jackson’s Op Ed on how high costs are hurting Americans.  At an Energy and Commerce field hearing in Midland, Texas, in February we heard from the Mayor of Midland, Lori Blong, who discussed the benefits that her community has experienced as a result of the local energy industry.  Here’s what she said:  “ The messages, virtue signaling and rhetoric that have come from the federal level lately tell us oil and gas is evil or not on the side of average American or on the side of care for our environment. This could not be further from the truth."   […]   “These companies work continuously with local and regional leaders to explore and find solutions to challenges in education, healthcare, housing, road safety, and training the future workforce. Using education as an example, PSP member companies have invested over $47 million in education initiatives across the Permian Basin, supporting local public schools, universities, teachers, and students.”   CLICK HERE to read her full testimony. 

House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans are leading on solutions to reverse the damage of President Biden’s war on American energy from day one to shut down our energy production and make us reliant on China. Last week, the committee advanced 16 bills to the full committee that will help unleash American energy, lower prices, secure our supply chain, and address climate issues. The Committee will hold a Full Committee markup on Thursday, March 9, to advance these solutions to the House floor.  WATCH Chair Rodgers on Fox Business’ Larry Kudlow discussing E&C Republicans’ robust agenda to end President Biden’s war on American energy.  Chair Rodgers: We must reverse President Biden's war on American energy, and this week in committee, we started the process.   We have several bills that we voted on in [our] subcommittees.   Our goal is to have a very significant down payment on the House floor at the end of this month.   We want to get this out of the House to unleash American energy [which is] just so foundational to our economy, our geopolitical standing, our leadership... to bring down gas prices, and secure our supply chains.   The Washington Examiner : House Republicans voted Tuesday to advance bills aimed at expanding U.S. energy production and reining in Biden-era environmental regulations.   The legislation would undo some of the administration's most prized bills and regulations related to climate change.   The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on the Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Minerals and the House Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security convened separately to approve 16 bills aimed at restoring U.S. energy dominance and reducing what Republicans argue are overly burdensome regulations imposed by the Biden administration.   "We must create an energy system in the United States that is affordable, reliable, and secure while maintaining our high environmental standards to ensure clean air, water, and soil, and these bills do just that," House Energy and Commerce Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers said Tuesday at the outset of the hearings.    The 16 bills will advance to the full committee for a vote.   The Daily Signal : House Republicans want to roll back a $27 billion “green bank,” the largest grant program in the massive spending bill dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act and passed in August by the Democrat-controlled Congress.   Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., chairman of the Republican Policy Committee and a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee under the new GOP-controlled House, introduced legislation to get rid of the “slush fund” set up for use by President Joe Biden. The House panel plans to mark up the bill next week.    “There is a lack of accountability. This was done in the dark of night,” Palmer told The Daily Signal. “It’s a slush fund meant to benefit one constituency, but not anyone else. There will be a lot of cronyism.”   […]   Palmer said he fears that the EPA’s green bank will result in something like the $535 million loan made by the Obama administration to the politically connected solar power company Solyndra, which ended up going bankrupt and was investigated by the FBI.    “This reminds me of Solyndra. That was $500 million down the tubes,” the Alabama Republican said.    Moreover, Palmer noted, this effort would boost America’s top adversary.    “For solar panels, 70% of materials come from China. We don’t have a lot of rare earth elements,” Palmer said.   See what leading energy and environment experts are saying about E&C Republican solutions:  American Chemistry Council (ACC)   CLICK HERE to read ACC’s letter of support for E&C energy solutions.  Heather Reams, President, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES)   The United States is the gold standard for energy production and generation, and the legislation advanced today by the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee demonstrates Republicans’ commitment to American energy leadership,” said CRES President Heather Reams. “When the United States supplies more of our world’s energy, global emissions go down. CRES commends the work of Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Committee Republicans who are working to increase American energy production. We will continue to advocate for commonsense policies to improve permitting and licensing, incentivize domestic development, and unleash our energy resources. Letter from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce   The Chamber applauds the subcommittee’s focus on the broken federal permitting process. We support the legislation being considered that would draw attention to this problem and would ensure greater predictability and transparency for the development of critical infrastructure. Specifically, the Chamber supports several bills aimed at enhancing domestic energy security and supporting America’s leading role in innovation and the reduction of carbon emissions:  H.R. 1068, the “Securing America’s Critical Minerals Supply Act”  H.R. 1085, the “Researching Efficient Federal Improvements for Necessary Energy Refining (REFINER) Act”  H.R. 1130, the “Unlocking Our Domestic LNG Potential Act”  H.R. 1115, the “Promoting Interagency Coordination for Review of Natural Gas Pipelines Act”  Letter from the American Petroleum Institute   API remains focused on working in a bipartisan manner to find common-sense, economically-sound solutions to not only maintain our energy independence, but also assist our allies around the world as they grapple with energy uncertainty resulting from Russia’s war in Ukraine. The “Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act of 2023”, is a strong step in this direction.  CLICK HERE to read more about E&C Republican energy solutions. 

President Biden’s war on American energy is making life unaffordable, including for David Hickman, a fifth-generation farm owner and operation from Horntown, Virginia.  He told the Energy and Commerce Committee in January, “this is the most perilous time... for American agriculture.”     WATCH David explain further why we need to unleash American energy to lower prices:  “We had never seen prices increases like we had in 2022. Everyone has to realize that agriculture runs on energy, whether it be petroleum, diesel fuel, or natural gas . A lot of people don’t realize that natural gas is in so many other products than just fuel.   “This potato bag, for example, is a five-pound bag that goes to all our supermarket customers. It was 12 cents in 2021. 16 cents in 2022. That 4 cents might not sound like a whole lot but when you buy half a million that is $20,000 just in the packaging.   “Food prices are directly related to high energy costs. This country needs a stable, affordable supply of energy because so much of agriculture is dependent upon energy. As long as energy is high priced and in short supply, it will translate in higher food prices and shortages in the supermarket.”   David is right. Energy is foundational to everything.    For the farmers who grow our food, manufacturers who make products we need, to truck drivers who make deliveries, grocers who struggle to keep their shelves stocked, and for Americans who are stretching their budgets to feed their families—energy touches every part of our economy and way of life.  That’s why Energy and Commerce Republicans are leading on energy solutions to increase production, boost refining capacity, build more pipelines, and repeal the Democrats’ natural gas tax.   TUNE IN now to today’s Energy and Commerce markup. 

President Biden and the Left’s rush-to-green agenda is making American dangerously reliant on China’s supply chains that use slave and child labor.  These are the facts:  China’s overall share of the energy minerals processing surpasses OPEC’s share of oil markets in many key areas—from 40% to 100% of key materials and processing.   The Department of Energy itself has noted , that China’s control of key materials in renewable energy is quote “across the board.” That includes, 80% of rare earths production and refining that are key to direct drives in wind turbines. 60% of lithium refining needed for electric vehicles and battery storage. 100%of processing for the graphite in battery anodes.  As reported by the WSJ, “About half the world’s supply of polysilicon, an essential ingredient in most solar panels, comes from this part of northwestern China, where human-rights groups and U.S. officials say China runs a sprawling network of internment camps that the U.S. says have held more than 1 million Uyghurs, a Muslim minority group."  As Katie Sweeney, with the National Mining Association (NMA), told the Energy and Commerce Committee in February:  “With over $6 trillion worth of mineral resources in the United States, a highly trained and highly compensated workforce, and world-class environmental and safety standards, the U.S. mining industry is essential to helping the nation meet ever-increasing demand for minerals for electrification, infrastructure, and manufacturing needs.”  “ To improve supply chain security, we must also have a robust domestic mineral supply chain. That includes more smelting, processing, and refining capabilities in the U.S. necessary to claw back the essential processes from geopolitical adversaries like China, which controls more than 80 percent of global rare earth mineral production, nearly 90 percent of global mineral processing capabilities as well as the market prices for rare earth elements at each step of the process.”  That is why Energy and Commerce Republicans are leading to secure our energy supply chains, bring refining and processing home, and cut our reliance on China.  TUNE IN now to today’s Energy and Commerce markup. 

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy Rodgers (R-WA) joined Fox Business’ Larry Kudlow yesterday to discuss E&C Republicans’ robust agenda to reverse the damage of President Biden’s war on American energy. Chair Rodgers said that the Republican majority in the House will be demanding officials from the Biden administration testify about their rush-to-green agenda. Check out the interview and highlights of Chair Rodgers: REVERSING BIDEN’S WAR ON AMERICAN ENERGY “We must reverse President Biden's war on American energy, and this week in committee, we started the process. “We have several bills that we voted on in [our] subcommittees. “Our goal is to have a very significant down payment on the House floor at the end of this month. “We want to get this out of the House to unleash American energy [which is] just so foundational to our economy, our geopolitical standing, our leadership... to bring down gas prices, and secure our supply chains.” STREAMLINING PERMITTING TO UNLEASH AMERICA’S ABUNDANT ENERGY RESOURCES “We are desperate for permitting reform in the United States. It's the number one barrier to getting anything done in manufacturing, let alone drilling or refining or processing. “We have a regulatory climate right now that is the number one barrier to get anything done. “[E&C Republicans] have legislation that would address permitting for pipelines. We want to export LNG to our partners and allies around the world. “It's really natural gas and the shale revolution in the United States of America that has brought down prices, but also led the country in bringing down carbon emissions. “We have legislation that would express our disapproval of when the President shut down the Keystone XL pipeline. We would prevent the president from putting a moratorium on fracking. “We must reform the permitting process and flip the switch on American energy to get us energy independent again. “We need to reduce those timelines, whether it's a solar plant or a pipeline or whatever the project may be, including expanding refining capacity. “We must reduce the timeline so that we can actually get projects built, get manufacturing going in the United States, and unleash American energy. “It's the best thing that we can do to bring down the price of gas, secure our supply chains so that we're not dependent upon China for critical minerals, and help our partners and allies around the world.” UNCOVERING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S RADICAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA “Agency directors have to come in front of these committees. “The secretaries for the last two years have been protected by the Democrats in the majority. “We will be having the secretaries come in, whether it's [Department of] Energy and FERC. “We'll ask them the questions that are fundamental to our role as the elected representatives of the people—to provide that oversight, to bring in the agencies, to ask them the questions.” EXERCISING THE POWER OF THE PURSE “When these agencies do not cooperate, we can exercise the power of the purse and ultimately cut their budgets and we're working very closely with the Appropriations Committee. “We must as the elected representatives of the people. “This is pretty fundamental: Article One, exercise the power of the purse and provide that oversight. “Many of these agencies are implementing their own political agenda, their political appointees, by the President, and they're implementing his agenda. “Right now, it’s pretty radical when it comes to shutting down American energy or shutting down projects, whether it's in Alaska or mining projects across the country. “We are bringing them in. We are going to hold them accountable and get them back to the task of what they're supposed to be doing within the law and for the American people.”

Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy Rodgers (R-WA) and Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Chairman Jeff Duncan (R-SC) led Subcommittee members in a field hearing in Midland, Texas. Local civil and energy officials celebrated the economic and public benefits of a strong oil and gas industry in the Permian Basin and the country as a whole, and warned of the dangers of President Biden shutting down American energy. Check out these stories from the hearings: Midland leaders were witnesses that spoke in front of the committee and gave testimony about the importance of West Texas in oil and gas production. […] “15 different representatives who have different constituencies but the thing that remains the same in those consistencies is a need for energy,” said Congressman August Pfluger. “What the community needs and what they need right now, what the American people need right now, what families need right now is low cost energy.” […] The goal of the committee is to make lives better for [the] American people. “Providing affordable energy is important is critical for the health of all of us,” said Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa. Midland Mayor Lori Blong, local business owner Adrian Carrasco, and I-P-A-A Chairman Steve Pruett all testified in front of the House Energy & Commerce Committee. This hearing centered around the benefits that the Permian Basin provides to America’s economic and national security. “You cannot understand US energy without visiting the Permian Basin,” said Congressman Pfluger. “As Representatives of the people’s house, we do the most important thing, which is getting the hell out of your way,” said Kat Cammack, Florida-District 3 It’s no secret to West Texans the vital role the Permian Basin plays in America’s economy and national security but not everyone in the country knows that. And that’s what today’s hearing was all about, showing how big of an impact West Texas has on the world and how members of Congress can help West Texas continue to grow. “Midland is doing it better than, cleaner, cheaper, safer than any place else on the planet. We need to learn from their experience and we need to get out of their way and allow them to do the job that they’ve done so well over the past 100 years” said Rep. Michael Burgess, Texas District 26. CHAIR RODGERS: “Our primary energy objective is to ensure reliable, secure, and affordable delivery of energy to Americans to their homes, to their businesses, the grocery stores, and everywhere in between. We must build upon our nation’s diverse and abundant natural resources, to create more secure supplies, more dependable power. We must work to develop a predictable regulatory landscape, one that unleashes America’s unmatched genius for innovation and technological leadership. “While we have examined solutions in our hearing room in Washington, D.C., to secure our energy future, we are here today in Texas to see where it all begins, in places like the Permian Basin. It begins with the workers, the families, all the people living and working in energy producing communities, like Midland, and so many others, large and small, throughout this country. We cannot achieve a more secure energy future, create more jobs, and increase affordability without the people who do this work and take the risks to produce American energy.” SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR DUNCAN: “Two years ago, America was energy dominant for the first time since 1952. In 2019, we became the number one oil and gas producer in the world. This drove down the cost for consumers at home and benefitted our allies abroad by providing supply as an alternative to Russia and OPEC. Much of this success is owed to the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit of the shale revolution, created by hydraulic fracturing in the production of both oil and natural gas. Something this community knows better than anyone. Energy and Commerce Republicans have solutions to build off the success of the shale revolution and get us back to energy dominance – we have a series of bills that aim to unleash innovation by creating regulatory certainty and encouraging long-term investment. This is in sharp contrast to the Biden administration and Congressional Democrats who want to make oil and gas production impossible.” At the field hearing, witnesses testified about the need for American energy production and the many benefits it provides to the community. Below are excerpts and highlights of prepared testimony: The Honorable Lori Blong, Mayor of Midland, Texas, and President of Octane Energy “The pipeline and infrastructure permitting headwinds, current SEC driven ESG movement, and the current administration’s vow to ‘put an end to fossil fuels’ are all creating growing market distortions and need to be reversed. These policies prevent individual Americans and American businesses from growing as we otherwise could, prevent us from creating jobs as we otherwise could, and most importantly prevents our country from being energy secure as it otherwise could. “Many members of this subcommittee have stated that energy security is national security. I could not agree more. Russian aggression toward a sovereign neighbor, the People’s Republic of China brutally repressing its own citizens and testing the resolve of the United States – these are not chapters in a history book. These are today’s newspaper headlines. History shows us that conflict is brought about by the desire of one or more sides to gain the resources of another. We have the energy we need right here in the Permian Basin, to keep American homes warm, to provide electricity to hospitals and schools, and to keep our country and allies safe. But we must have federal advocacy and support for the energy production we require. “If the Federal Government truly wants to work with energy companies to positively impact the environment, one tangible suggestion is to significantly invest in technologies for beneficial reuse of produced water from oil and natural gas extraction. The technology for beneficial reuse of produced water already exists; we simply need to find ways to make that technology economically scalable, to benefit the millions of Americans in everyday communities in the central and western states, where abundant clean water is a game-changer on so many levels. Federal efforts in this case could help to accelerate our beneficial reuse efforts, rather than the federal efforts we have seen to restrict our industry but which do not ultimately benefit our communities. “The messages, virtue signaling and rhetoric that have come from the federal level lately tell us oil and gas is evil or not on the side of average American or on the side of care for our environment. This could not be further from the truth. Responsible operators in the Permian are committed to paying excellent wages for the flourishing of our people and committed to ever-improving technology for the flourishing of our surrounding environment.” Full Testimony Mr. Adrian Carrasco, Chairman Midland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and President of Premier Energy Services “We all know that small businesses play a key role in increasing commerce, providing jobs, and bringing economic development within our community. It is crucial that we continue to provide business education, funding opportunities for business growth, and guidance for positive growth. As communities like Midland grow, we look to entrepreneurs to develop businesses that meet the need of the community and its growth.” […] “Due to the positive impact of the oil and gas industry on local communities, this has given aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to fulfill dreams of owning a business. We have seen home bakers open restaurants and bakery shops. Restaurants expand their businesses into second locations and catering services to the oil field drill sites. Licensed commercial electricians have expanded services into the oil and gas sector and cosmetologists and barbers have opened their own shops. I applaud the great work of the Midland Development Corporation and Kevin Dawson with Maybe Midland/Odessa on their successful efforts of bringing new brands of restaurants, family entertainment centers, aerospace and aviation related businesses to Midland. Midland is home to over 6,200 business establishments and it drives over 100,000 jobs. Oil and Gas in the Permian is an economic driver not only here but throughout this nation and the world. [The Midland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce] will continue to support our local minority and small business owners so they can provide economic growth and commerce in our community.” Full Testimony Mr. Steven Pruett, President and CEO, Elevation Resources, in Midland, and Chairman of the Board for Independent Petroleum Association of America “Negative messaging by the Biden administration discourages people from joining our industry. COVID relief reduced our workforce as workers stayed home, living on government handouts. My generation is approaching retirement, setting the oil and gas industry up for the ‘great crew change.’ However, there are not enough young people to replace my generation in the oil industry. Over the last 2 years, the oilfield has experienced 15% wage inflation if you can find qualified workers. We’ve also experienced months-long delays in completing or repairing wells and facilities due to manpower and equipment shortages. Drilling & completion costs for my company have risen from $8 million in 2021 to $11 million per well in 2022 due to escalating input costs including steel and labor, while weak natural gas and liquids prices have reduced our returns, thus limiting drilling activity. “To reduce uncertainty and improve the investment climate needed to grow U.S. oil and gas production, we need Congress to provide oversight of the EPA, DOI, FERC and SEC as it relates to regulations affecting the oil and natural gas industry broadly defined from the wellhead to the consumer.” Full Testimony

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy Rodgers (R-WA) led committee members to Texas for the first congressional field hearing at the southern border in the 118th Congress. The members discussed how President Biden’s border policies are causing a public health crisis in border communities and is fueling the illicit fentanyl poisoning crisis nationwide. Members also shared why Congress must take action on Rep. Griffith (R-VA) and Rep. Latta’s (R-OH) HALT Fentanyl Act , which would give law enforcement tools needed to keep fentanyl-related substances out of our communities.  Chair Rodgers on Biden’s Border Crisis : “This is an attack on our young generation, and it is critical that we are taking steps to stop the flow of fentanyl across our border." Dana Perino : “A group of bipartisan lawmakers holding the first ever hearing [this Congress] at the border [Wednesday]. FOX News cameras tagged along as those lawmakers went on a nighttime tour of the area.”  Griff Jenkins: “This was the first, but lawmakers told me it won’t be the last. Now this is the Energy and Commerce Committee Chair by Cathy McMorris Rodgers […] They took a deep dive into the public health crisis at the border with a particular focus on the unprecedented amount of fentanyl coming across.”  CLICK HERE to watch more as reported on FOX News.   At the field hearing, witnesses provided crucial testimony describing how the border crisis is creating a public health crisis in neighboring communities and is fueling the fentanyl crisis across the nation. Below are excerpts and highlights of prepared testimony:  Mr. Brandon Judd, President, National Border Patrol Council  “Under our current border security policies, criminal cartels have become incredibly successful at bringing their high-value products into our country illegally and these circumstances have contributed to a huge increase in the flow of hard narcotics making their way into the U.S., and wreaking havoc on our communities. According to a Washington Post report entitled, “Fentanyl’s deadly surge, Overview: From Mexican labs to U.S. streets, a lethal pipeline,” published in December 2022, more than 107,000 people died from a drug overdose in 2021 and, “fentanyl was responsible for two-thirds of those deaths.” The amount of illicit fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, pouring into our country across our Southern border is staggering and frankly terrifying knowing that just two milligrams is considered a lethal dose.   “According to publicly available data from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Border Patrol alone—not the Office of Field Operations responsible for our ports of entry—seized 949 pounds of fentanyl along the Southwest border from February 2021—the first full month of President Biden’s open border policies—through January 2022. CBP just recently released narcotics seizure data for President Biden’s second full year in office—February 2022 through January 2023—and the amount of illicit fentanyl seized by just the Border Patrol has more than doubled to 2,294 pounds. To give some perspective on those statistics—2,294 pounds of fentanyl converts to over 1 billion milligrams, enough to kill over 500 million people. ”    Full Testimony Mr. Urbino Martinez, Brooks County Sheriff  “On a national level, in 2022, there were 2.2 million encounters from 171 countries. In the current FY 23 there have been 775,000 encounters, with 3,000 of those having serious criminal history with national security and public safety concerns. There have been 1.2 million got-a-ways reported. We have no idea if they’re Cartel, other criminals, or terrorist, because the Federal Government has failed to enforce border security efforts and Border Patrol’s time has been taken up processing the majority of migrants giving themselves up at the border.   “From March—October 2022, the Texas Operation Lone Star Coalition, of which Brooks County is a part of, has reported 322 smuggling pursuits, 204 bailouts, recovered 181 stolen vehicles, seized 31 firearms, seized $591,000 going back to Mexico, recorded $286,000 of property damage, and have charged 179 people for engaging in organized criminal activity.   “In the past 31 days of 2023, there have been 1,937 Mexican Cartel drone’s incursions in three South Texas border counties.”  Full Testimony Mr. Stuart Archer, CEO, Oceans Health Care  "[…] it has been my experience that our law enforcement and first responders have been particularly impacted by the mental health and substance use issues they are confronted with daily in their jobs. Instead of allowing our law enforcement to do what they do best, we have instead depended on them to also serve as a health providers and mental health specialists. GAO found that Bureau of Prison inmates with serious mental illness as opposed to inmates without serious mental illness were incarcerated nearly twice as much for sex offenses, robbery, homicide, and aggravated assault. This is not fair to our law enforcement or our valuable community resources. Instead, we need to work on increasing partnerships with our local law enforcement.”  Full Testimony