Congressional Update from Congressman Andy Barr

We Need Border Security, Not Amnesty

Last night, House Democrats held a vote on two immigration bills that would give amnesty and a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants despite a mounting immigration crisis on our southern border.  While I am a strong supporter of safe, legal immigration and strengthening guest worker programs upon which Kentucky farmers depend, these bills would increase costs and liability for our farmers and reinforce the open borders, pro-amnesty policies from the Biden Administration that created this most recent and severe crisis at the border.  

Just under two months into the Biden Administration, here is the state of our southern border:  

• U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas during testimony in the U.S. House of Representatives that DHS is not testing migrants for COVID-19 before releasing them into communities in the U.S. 
• In February, more than 100,000 migrants tried to enter the country illegally, a 170% increase in border encounters from February of last year.  
• More than 6,000 family units are attempting to cross the border per week.  Before President Biden took office, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) was encountering 1,000 family units per week at the border. 
            o   Former Obama DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said that over 1,000 family units crossing per week is a crisis.
• Four individuals currently on the U.S. terrorist watch list were apprehended at the border this week.  The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) describes these individuals as “people known to be or reasonably suspected of being involved in terrorist activities.”
• Despite denying there is a crisis on the southern border, the Biden Administration has deployed Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) resources to the southern border. 

Furthermore, I am deeply disturbed by Democrats’ vote to block legislation I supported requiring a negative COVID-19 test for every illegal immigrant as a condition of entry into the United States under the Administration’s misguided “catch and release” program.  It is outrageous that the Biden Administration would implement this policy at the same time Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is openly discussing a policy of requiring American citizens to get a negative COVID-19 test before flying on commercial aircraft. 

The Paycheck Protection Program Extension Act of 2021 Passes the House

This week, I voted in support of legislation in the House for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Extension Act of 2021.  This legislation extends PPP through May 31, two months longer than the original March 31 deadline.  Businesses will have longer to apply for funds and the U.S. Small Business Administration will have an extra 30 days to allow time to process loan applications.  Over $1 billion in forgivable loans have been delivered to small businesses throughout the Sixth District.  Not only has this saved countless small businesses, it has kept paychecks flowing to workers and their families throughout our District.  

As always, small business owners with questions about PPP funding are encouraged to contact my District Office at (859) 219-1366 for assistance. 

IRS Extends Tax Filing Date to May 17

In case you missed it, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced an extension for taxpayers to file and pay federal taxes.  Instead of the usual April 15 deadline for filing, the IRS announced an automatic extension until May 17.  Individual taxpayers can also postpone payment of federal taxes to this date without penalties and interest, regardless of the amount owed.  This includes those who pay the self-employment tax.  This extension is automatic, so no action is needed from taxpayers to qualify for the extension.  

Sincerely,

Congressman Andy Barr