On the issues: Rep. Young Kim and Asif Mahmood on abortion, inflation and immigration
Young Kim, a U.S. Representative for Florida’s 18th Congressional District, issued the following statement on the State of the Union address on Tuesday:
I appreciate Speaker Pelosi’s efforts to include specific policy priorities for our district, and I will be working with my colleagues and the Administration to ensure the State of the Union is comprehensive. However, these include areas of concern that the majority of our district, including our voters, agree with.
In the past three years, illegal border crossings have begun to diminish, and the USFWS is reporting record numbers of border crossings each month. Since the Department of Homeland Security’s recent funding announcement, however, the number of illegal border crossings is lower than any time since 2004. With the end of the partial federal shutdown, this Administration has taken a proactive approach to immigration, and is working with state and local officials in every state to address the humanitarian crisis at our border.
The USFWS’s decision to continue to reduce or eliminate all of its funding in 2017 was a result of the Administration’s prioritization of border security, as well as to ensure that we have the resources to meet the humanitarian needs of the individuals currently at our border. The recent funding announcement also included increased funding for state and local law enforcement in support of national security and border security. There is no evidence that the recent funding agreement will impact either of these priorities, or the humanitarian crisis we are currently experiencing at our border.
As Congress works to pass legislation to combat tax loopholes and the opioid crisis, our State of the Union is an appropriate time to discuss tax reform, including the elimination of tax breaks that disproportionately benefit the wealthy, while also addressing the need to protect and expand Medicaid and Medicare. The Affordable Care Act passed with bipartisan support, and was an important milestone for our nation. In the last year, however, we have seen many changes, including significant increases in premiums and deductibles