Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM AUGUST 9 - 15, 2023 UCW 5 REP. RICHARD HUDSON, R-N.C. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200. President Ronald Reagan fa- mously said, "A nation that cannot control its borders is not a nation." President Joe Biden's open bor- der policies have fueled a historic surge in illegal immigration and the flames of our ongoing border crisis. Since Biden took office, there have been over 5.6 million ille- gal crossings encountered at our southern border, and approximate- ly 1.6 million illegal immigrants have escaped apprehension that we know of. According to Customs and Bor- der Protection, 144,500 illegal im- migrants were encountered at the southern border in June alone — an 186% increase from the number of June encounters during the last administration. To date in FY23, Border Patrol agents have seized more than 22,000 pounds of fentanyl, sur- passing the total amount seized in all of FY22. Fentanyl poison- ing is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45, and is killing 300 Americans every single day — including over 3,000 North Carolinians in 2022. An amount small enough to fit inside the ear of Lincoln on a pen- ny can be lethal. For anyone who cares about the safety of our young people, it's heartbreaking and frus- trating to witness this rapid decline in border security. Every state, including North Carolina, is suffering from the impacts of Biden's open border policies. at's why I confronted Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra following the recent announce- ment that a facility for unaccom- panied minors will begin operating in Greensboro within the next few weeks. In 2021, while testifying before the Energy and Commerce Com- mittee, Secretary Becerra told me there were no plans to open such a facility in North Carolina. He knew that very day he had people doing a site visit at Ameri- can Hebrew Academy in Greens- boro. After Secretary Becerra blatantly misled me and several members of our delegation, the people of North Carolina deserve to know the truth. We have re- ceived nothing but delayed and vague responses. You deserve real answers and real solutions. Housing illegal im- migrants in schools across the na- tion will not solve our border crisis. When House Republicans made our "Commitment to America," we promised to secure the border and protect innocent Americans from the consequences of President Biden's radical agenda. Real solutions like H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, and the re- cently passed Schools Not Shelters Act, will deliver on our promise to secure the border — something Washington Democrats refuse to do. As the Sandhills' Congressman and representative of the largest military base in the country, I am also committed to our resilient en- ergy grid. Physical attacks on our nation's power grid, like the one we experienced in Moore County, increased by 71% in 2022. In July, I joined a House En- ergy and Commerce Subcommit- tee hearing to further examine emerging threats to our electrical grid. is hearing built on what we learned at the field hearing I hosted in Moore County in June. We heard from expert wit- nesses about tangible solutions to strengthen our grid and prevent future attacks on the infrastructure you depend on. One threat to our grid is the lack of a viable supply chain for grid components. Biden's Department of Energy is about to make mat- ters worse through proposed rules that will make it harder to find transformers. eir new rules will increase the time to procure new transformers from months to years. To combat these proposed standards, I introduced Protecting America's Distribution Transform- er Supply Chain Act to delay these new bureaucratic regulations for energy distribution transformers. I was able to include this in the FY2024 Department of Energy au- thorization bill. is will not totally solve the supply chain problem, but it will prevent Washington bu- reaucrats from making it worse. Our government exists to serve and protect you. From securing our borders to protecting your way of life, I am committed to build- ing a safer future for you and your family that promotes long term economic prosperity, public safety and freedom. Editor's note: Rep. Richard Hud- son has been serving as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 9th congressional district since 2013. Seeking accountability on issues impacting the state, region and nation by REP. RICHARD HUDSON OPINION VOLUME 14 | ISSUE 10 OCTOBER | 2020 Inspiring, educating, empowering and celebrating women in our community M A G A Z I N E West Fayetteville Farm Girls Fall Flavors for Your Table Help for Women's Health Carve and Craft Pumpkin Art More inside: VOLUME 14 | ISSUE 11 NOVEMBER | 2020 Inspiring, educating, empowering and celebrating women in our community M A G A Z I N E Easy Entertaining with Friends and Family Amplifying Thanks with a Grateful Attitude Destressing the Holidays Soup's On: Simple Suppers More inside: Simple Pleasures Simple Pleasures BY, FOR & ABOUT Inspiring, educating, empowering and celebrating women in our community For more information on types of drugs and loctions of seizures, visit https://www.cbp.gov/news- room/stats/drug-seizure-statistics (Graphic courtesy U.S. Customs and Border Protection)