Dear Friend,
Keep It Nine
Last week, Congressional Democrats introduced legislation to expand the number of Supreme Court Justices from nine to thirteen, which would grant President
Biden the ability to appoint four Justices to the Court. This move comes just two weeks after President Biden formed his own commission to study Supreme Court reform, presumably including court packing. Last year, Progressives threatened packing the court if Amy Coney Barrett was
confirmed, a threat that some said was only political gamesmanship in an attempt to scare Republicans into not confirming Barrett despite her overwhelming
qualifications to serve, as I presented in my op-ed last year.
The last attempt to influence the Judicial Branch of government through court packing was in 1937 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced his
intentions to add up to six justices to the Supreme Court. Since then, his attempt has been universally labeled as a bad idea by both liberals
and conservatives. Even Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg expressed her concerns about the calls to pack the court, saying, “Nine seems to be a good
number. It’s been that way for a long time. I think it was a bad idea when President Franklin Roosevelt tried to pack the court.”
In spite of historical evidence and opposition to court packing, Progressives are serious in their calls to undermine the only branch of government not under their control at the moment. In response, I have joined my colleagues in cosponsoring a Constitutional
Amendment that would cap the Supreme Court at nine justices. The legislation already has 100 cosponsors and, if passed, would ensure that our Judicial
Branch is not undermined at the political whim of the far-left.
Working to Secure the Border
Following our trip to the Southern Border, other Republican Members of the Committee on Homeland Security and I sent a letter to the Biden Administration
to clarify policies on processing and vetting illegal aliens entering the United States. We were greatly concerned with what we learned and saw
during our trip to the border, including stories of children brought over the border by someone falsely claiming to be their relative and instances
of illegal aliens boarding planes to interior American cities 24 hours after their arrival without proper vetting. We further outlined concerns
in the letter.
“According to DHS personnel on the ground, there are no requirements for migrants being placed on flights and busses across the country to show a negative
COVID-19 test. Also, for migrants who show up at the border with no paperwork or documentation, CBP is forced to take them at their word regarding
biographic information including their name and even age. That does not instill confidence regarding the identities of people who are expeditiously
being put on busses and planes to head to cities across the country pending their immigration proceedings,” the letter reads.
Law enforcement agents on the border are overwhelmed. Their only request is for the government to allow them to enforce the rule of law on the border.
If the Biden Administration is hindering their ability to maintain order, then that needs to be brought to light so we can reverse those decisions
and hold this administration accountable for continuing to encourage the crisis on our border.
I also shared my experiences with my colleagues on the House floor this week. In the video, I provide even more details. Please watch and share to
help us spread the facts about what is happening on our southern border.
Sincerely,
Michael Guest
Member of Congress
