The Week Just Passed:

The Border Crisis Requires Immediate Presidential Action

“Iron Dome” is Protecting Israel

Ukraine “Going it Alone”: Washington Post

Picatinny: Always Finding a Better Way

“Freedom’s Indispensable Nation”

Salute:  Fort Nonsense Officially Reopened on the Fourth of July

Honoring Raoul Wallenberg

The Border Crisis Requires Immediate Presidential Action

The images of thousands of innocent children entering the United States illegally along our southern border are heartbreaking.  Sadly, the policies of the Obama administration have led tens of thousands of families in Central America to believe that they can send their children to the United States where they will be able to stay. 

For the ten years preceding fiscal year 2012, the federal government dealt with approximately 7,000 to 8,000 unaccompanied illegal alien children a year. In FY 2011, there were 6,560.

However, in 2012, the President signed an Executive Order entitled “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the number jumped to 13,625.  Since last October, at least 50,000 have entered illegally. Officials estimate at least 150,000-160,000 more will try next year.

The White House has embarked on a public relations campaign to tell potential migrants that they will not receive amnesty.  Yet many illegal immigrants have told authorities that they traveled to America, or paid thousands of dollars to drug and human traffickers to transport their young children, believing the Obama administration would never deport them if they made it across the U.S.-Mexico border.

The President already has the authority needed to secure the border and return these children to their home countries, says Jessica Vaughan, the director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies:                                                                                                                   

I also suggest reading Charles Krauthammer’s excellent op-ed from yesterday’s Washington Post.  

“Iron Dome” is Protecting Israel

I am, and have always been, a stronger defender of Israel and of its right to defend itself against those who deny its basic right to exist.  I fully support Israel’s forceful response to the ongoing attacks on Israel and its people by the terrorist organization Hamas. 

An important part of Israel’s defense is the Iron Dome air defense system.  As chair of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I was very pleased that our bill for the coming fiscal year includes $350,972,000 for improvements to Israel’s Iron Dome.  This represents an increase of $175,000,000 above the President’s original budget request for the program.

This article from the Voice of America details just how successfully Iron Dome has performed in intercepting rockets fired into Israel by Hamas terrorists. 

The United States must continue to stand with Israel, one of our closest allies and the only democracy in the Middle East.

Ukraine “Going it Alone”: Washington Post

This editorial from today’s Washington Post is well worth a read. 

Picatinny: Always Finding a Better Way

Picatinny Arsenal has long been in the forefront in developing advanced weaponry and other equipment to give our troops the advantage on the battlefield. 

One of its latest innovations is the “Advanced Speed Bag,” a vastly improved container for resupplying troops in the field.  Currently, supplies are dropped from helicopters, often resulting in significant damage to the equipment being provided. 

This innovation will ensure that when our warriors are in the midst of a battle, the ammunition, medical supplies, and food they need can now be delivered largely undamaged, providing an edge that could mean all the difference between life and death. 

“Freedom’s Indispensable Nation”

The Wall Street Journal uses the occasion of its 125^th anniversary to reflect on the indispensable role the United States has played over the past century in advancing the cause of peace and freedom in the world.  As the international situation continues to deteriorate, this essay is a must read.

Salute:  Fort Nonsense Officially Reopened on the Fourth of July

I was pleased to attend the re-opening, on Independence Day, of Fort Nonsense in Morristown.  This National Park Service historic site was badly damaged by Superstorm Sandy, and has been undergoing repairs.

I salute the Washington Association of New Jersey, ably led by Harding’s own Eileen Cameron, which donated $35,000 to clear downed trees and install new benches, picnic tables, and signs.  

I also salute, Tom Ross, the superintendent of the Morristown National Historic Park, and his staff for their efforts to make Fort Nonsense even more visitor-friendly than it was before the storm.

Fort Nonsense is located 600 feet above sea level, on the highest spot in Morristown.  On a clear day, the New York City skyline is visible, nearly 25 miles away.  Information about planning a visit to Fort Nonsense, and the rest of the Morristown National Historic Park, can be found here.

Honoring Raoul Wallenberg

This past Wednesday, I had the honor of attending the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony honoring the heroic efforts of Raoul Wallenberg during World War II. Wallenberg, operating as a Swedish diplomat, was responsible for saving the lives of more than 100,000 Hungarian Jewish men, women, and children in the final year of the war.

At great risk to his own life, Wallenberg bravely issued official Swedish documents to tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews who would otherwise have been sent to Nazi concentration camps.  Wallenberg’s courage was also directly responsible for saving the lives of 70,000 people living in the largest Jewish ghetto in Budapest. 

In January 1945, Wallenberg disappeared and his fate remains unknown.  Incredibly, in just six months, he accomplished one of the greatest humanitarian rescue missions in history.  In recognition of his heroism, Wallenberg was made an honorary citizen of the United States in 1981, becoming only the second person ever to receive that honor.  Winston Churchill was the first.

To learn more about this extraordinary man, visit the website of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.