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MASSACHUSETTS CONGRESSMAN JAKE AUCHINCLOSS. CONGRESSMAN, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING. GOOD MORNING. THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON. FIRST OF ALL, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE NEXT STEPS HERE FOLLOWING THE SURPRISE ROCKET STRIKES ON ISRAEL. PRESIDENT BIDEN IS OFFERING ALL APPROPRIATE MEANS OF RESPONSE. HOW CAN YOU AND THE REST OF CONGRESS STEP IN TO HELP HERE? FOR SO MANY OF US IN THE JEWISH COMMUNITY WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY IN ISRAEL. THIS SURPRISE ASSAULT HAS ECHOES OF THE YOM KIPPUR WAR, 50 YEARS AGO, WHEN EGYPT AND SYRIA ATTACKED ISRAEL WITHOUT PROVOCATION. ISRAEL WAS ULTIMATELY SUCCESSFUL IN THAT WAR. I EXPECT THAT ISRAEL IS ULTIMATELY GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS WAR AS WELL. BUT BUT IT IS GOING TO REQUIRE INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT. THE UNITED STATES HAS LONG PROVIDED $3.5 BILLION IN SECURITY AID TO ISRAEL THAT AID IS SAVING LIVES AS WE SPEAK THROUGH IRON DOME, WHICH IS SHOOTING DOWN ROCKETS BEING FIRED BY HAMAS FROM THE GAZA STRIP AND ANY OTHER APPROPRIATE MEANS OF SUPPORT, WHETHER MATERIAL OR LOGISTICAL OR FINANCIAL, WILL. I ENCOURAGE THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AND CERTAINLY IN CONGRESS, I WILL BE SUPPORTING THAT AID AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. BACK HERE AT HOME, THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IS SENDING A TEAM HERE TO ASSESS THE GROWING MIGRANT CRISIS. THIS IS SOMETHING YOU’VE BEEN CALLING FOR. WHEN WILL THOSE FEDERAL OFFICIALS BE HERE AND WHERE WILL THEY GET THAT FIRST HAND LOOK? WELL, LET THE HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT AND THE GOVERNOR TALK MORE ABOUT THE DETAILS AS IT’S BEING ARRANGED BETWEEN THOSE TWO ENTITIES. I WILL SAY, THOUGH, THAT WE NEED MORE FEDERAL ENGAGEMENT. WE NEED THE HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY TO CUT THE RED TAPE. THAT IS PREVENTING MIGRANTS HERE FROM GETTING THE WORK AUTHORIZATION THAT THEY WANT, THAT EMPLOYERS WANT THEM TO HAVE THAT WILL RELIEVE THE BURDEN ON MASSACHUSETTS TAXPAYERS AND THAT WILL TURBOCHARGE OUR ECONOMY HERE IN THE BAY STATE. AND WE ALSO NEED FEDERAL FUNDING. MASSACHUSETTS HAS GOTTEN ABOUT $2 MILLION. IT’S SPENDING ABOUT $45 MILLION A MONTH. THAT’S NOT SUSTAINABLE. THIS COMMONWEALTH HAS BEEN WELCOMING REFUGEES FOR 400 YEARS. WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT. I’M PROUD OF THAT TRADITION. WE DO NEED HELP, THOUGH, IN THE SHORT TERM, THAT MEANS HELP FROM THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION. ULTIMATELY, IT’S GOING TO REQUIRE CONGRESS TO ACT. CONGRESS OWNS THIS PROBLEM AND OUR FAILURE TO LEGISLATE ON IT HAS ALLOWED IT TO ROLL DOWN ONTO MAYORS AND SELECT BOARDS, WHICH IS DEEPLY UNFAIR. AYER I’M A CO-SPONSOR OF BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO FIX THIS. AT THE ROOT CAUSE, BORDER SECURITY VISA AND ASYLUM REFORM HELP FOR THE COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN TO HELP THEM STEM THE TIDE OF POVERTY AND CRIME. WE NEED THIS LEGISLATURE TO THE FLOOR FOR A VOTE. YOU MENTIONED IT. REALLY, WE DO NEED MEANINGFUL IMMIGRATION REFORM HERE. IT DOESN’T SEEM LIKE VERY MUCH IS GETTING DONE IN CONGRESS RIGHT NOW. SO WHAT’S THE STATUS OF THIS ISSUE IN CONGRESS? THE STATUS IS THAT THE REPUBLICAN CONFERENCE CAN’T EVEN GOVERN THEMSELVES, MUCH LESS GOVERN THE COUNTRY. AND THAT IS A PREVENTABLE SCENE OF DYSFUNCTION. LAST CONGRESS, DEMOCRAT S HAD THE SAME MARGINS THAT REPUBLICANS HAVE THIS CONFERENCE AND WE PASSED MONUMENTAL LEGISLATION IN A BI PARTIZAN FASHION. I’M TALKING INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT, GUN SAFETY LEGISLATION, ELECTORAL COUNT, ACT REFORM, INVESTMENTS IN DOMESTIC MANUFACTURING. THERE’S NO REASON WHY REPUBLICANS CAN’T TAKE UP THAT BIPARTISAN MOMENTUM AND LEGISLATE FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ON THINGS LIKE IMMIGRATION AND CLEAN ENERGY INVESTMENTS. UNFORTUNATELY, SHIRLEY, THEY’RE FIGHTING LIKE FERRETS IN A PHONE BOOTH INSTEAD. AND AND AS DEMOCRATIC HOUSE MINORITY LEADER HAKEEM JEFFRIES HAS SAID, AND WHICH I SUPPORT IT, WE ARE READY TO OFFER THEM A WAY OUT, BUT THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO CHANGE THE RULES OF THE HOUSE TO ALLOW FOR BIPARTISAN GOVERNANCE AND TO ISOLATE THEIR EXTREMISTS BECAUSE THEY HAVE A GROUP OF ARSONISTS THAT ARE HOLDING THEM HOSTAGE. YOU LED US RIGHT TO THE NEXT QUESTION. THE DRAMA NOW SURROUNDING THE HOUSE SPEAKER AFTER KEVIN MCCARTHY WAS OUSTED FOLLOWING THE DEAL, HE CUT WITH THE DEMOCRATS. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE WHOLE SAGA? WHAT’S NEXT? HOW IS THIS GOING TO END? THERE’S A CROCODILE CAUCUS IN THE HOUSE REPUBLICAN CONFERENCE. AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS AN APPEASER IS SOMEONE WHO FEEDS A CROCODILE HOPING IT WILL EAT HIM LAST. WELL, KEVIN MCCARTHY FED HIS CROCODILE CAUCUS THE CONSTITUTION ON JANUARY 6TH. HE FED THEM JOE BIDEN WITH HIS TRUMPED UP IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY. HE FED THEM THE FEDERAL BUDGET BY BACKING DOWN FROM HIS DEAL WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN ON SPENDING LIMITS. HE FED THEM UKRAINE BY REFUSING TO PUT IT ON THE HOUSE FLOOR FOR A VOTE. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? THE CROCODILE CAUCUS STILL ATE KEVIN MCCARTHY. AND NOW WE’RE SEEING THIS RACE TO BE HIS SUCCESSOR. AND IT’S GOING TO BE A NEW SET OF DRAMA WITH THE SAME PUNCH LINE. AND THAT IS THE CROCODILE CAUCUS WILL DEVOUR THAT LEADER UNLESS THEY CHANGE THE RULES. THIS ISN’T ROCKET SCIENCE. THE RULES THAT THE REPUBLICANS VOTED FOR AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS CONGRESS ARE HOLDING THEM HOSTAGE TO A GROUP OF ABOUT A DOZEN LAWMAKERS ON THE EXTREME RIGHT WHO ACTUALLY DON’T WANT TO GOVERN. THEY JUST WANT TO SEE THE WHOLE PLACE MIRED IN DYSFUNCTION AND MUCK AND WHAT DEMOCRATS HAVE SAID THAT REPEATEDLY IS CHANGE THOSE RULES RESTORE BY PARTIZAN GOVERNANCE, AND WE CAN START DOING BIG THINGS FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE LIKE WE DID LAST CONGRESS WHEN WE PASSED. THE BOLDEST CLIMATE ACTION AND CLEAN ENERGY INVESTMENT IN HISTORY. WHEN WE INCREASE THE CHILD TAX CREDIT TO REDUCE FOOD INSECURITY FOR FAMILIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, WE CAN DO THESE THINGS. BUT THE REPUBLICANS HAVE GOT TO START PUTTING AMERICA FIRST AND STOP PUTTING MAGA FIRST. OKAY, WITH THAT, THANK YOU SO MUCH, CONGRESSMAN JAKE