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Washington -In case you missed it, Congressman Rick W. Allen (GA-12) spoke with nearly 9,000 Georgians during his live telephone town hall on Tuesday evening.
Over the course of the one-hour call, Congressman Allen answered questions on a wide range of topics including the southern border crisis, school safety, and economic issues such as inflation.
Here are some highlights from the event:
On securing the border:
"According to new data, there were 234,088 migrant encounters at our southern border in April. That’s the highest in U.S. history for one month."
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"We had a federal judge issue to the president a direct order on the Remain in Mexico Policy, and they're ignoring it. They're ignoring the laws on our books."
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"Border Patrol and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have confirmed that over 700,000 known 'gotaways' have evaded apprehension at the southern border since Biden took office."
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"This is a humanitarian, national security, and public health crisis – as the deadly drug fentanyl continues to flow across the U.S. southern border."
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"I will continue to sound the alarm about the dangers of Joe Biden and Congressional Democrats' open-border policies, and fight to secure our border."
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On protecting our schools:
"Congress has passed legislation and funded [programs] to deal with this issue. I have legislation proposed to allow our schools to use existing funding to deal with mental illness among our young people."
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"What we passed to harden our schools was to [provide federal funding for measures that may include] securing exterior openings, windows, and doors and have a security officer armed at the entrance to deal with any type of violence that could occur there."
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"I'm looking for every way I know to prevent it; certainly, securing our schools is critical and we need to do that at the local level. The federal government can provide and assist with funding, and we've done that."
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On domestic energy:
"This week, the national average cost for a gallon of gasoline is $4.92. At this rate, American families will spend $5,000 on gasoline this year, on top of already historic inflation."
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"President Biden has tried to shift the blame on this issue, taking no responsibility for the crisis that he and his administration have created."
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"I am fighting in Washington for pro-American energy solutions that will allow us to reclaim our energy independence and strength."
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"The current 'wait and see' strategy is not working. It’s long past due that we take proactive measures to jumpstart domestic energy production."
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On moving the Dublin VA facility to Macon:
"I assure you, as long as I am a Member of Congress, that facility is going to be in Dublin, Georgia. We have a great facility in Dublin, we're improving that facility and trying to do even more things to address the needs of our veterans."
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"Many veterans already have to travel far distances to get the care they've earned. And we should instead be looking for ways to strengthen the Dublin VA.
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Callers also had the option to answer survey questions on hot-button issues including gas prices, school choice, and illegal immigration.
74percent of those polled said they had been "very affected" by rising energy costs, while 88percent of those polled also indicated a high level of concern about current record levels of illegal immigration. Furthermore, 89percent of respondents indicated they support parental input on school choice or school curriculum.
If you would like to sign up to participate in the next Telephone Town Hall, click here.
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