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Democrats express no desire to attend GOP hearing in border town of Yuma

February 24, 2023 | | Print Article

The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee held its first hearings on the border in Yuma, Arizona, this week as Democrats on the committee opted to stay home — as did much of the media.

Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, had local officials testify about the massive surge of illegal immigrants and the strain it’s putting on the community.

“It’s a shame that not one Democrat member of Congress would join us on this trip, despite having weeks of advance notice,” Jordan told Fox News. “It’s disappointing, but it’s not surprising.”

Fox News reporter Bill Melugin reported in a tweet that Dr. Robert Transchel, president and CEO of the only hospital in town, Yuma Regional, said the facility was on the “verge of financial collapse” over treating so many illegal immigrants — pregnant migrants topping that list.

“The CEO there says they are on verge of financial collapse after spending $20 million in 6 months providing care for illegal immigrants, predominantly pregnant women, without any reimbursement & nobody to foot the bill. No Democrats on the committee showed up for the trip & hearing today, which the hospital CEO will be testifying at,” he tweeted.

The hospital said they have delivered over $26 million in uncompensated care to migrants in a 12-month period, according to the network.

“It is an unsustainable model to have a hospital like ours bear the entire burden of paying for migrant health care. No business or service can survive ongoing large-scale expense without any offsetting revenue,” Trenschel said.

Not that Democrats appear to care — the party’s goal seems to be to allow as many illegal immigrants into the country under President Biden as possible without collapsing the entire immigration process.

Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot also appeared before the committee, testifying that Border Patrol apprehensions of illegal immigrants in the area “have gone up from 40 a day to over 1,000 a day in the space of two years, and that the county has had to shell out tens of thousands of dollars to lease Porta-Johns to stop migrants defecating in crops,” Fox News reported.

In another tweet, Melugin shared a video from Wednesday night showing the Republican lawmakers touring the border.

“Last night, we were with Congressman @Jim_Jordan & the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee as they prepare to have their first field hearing on the border crisis in Yuma, AZ today. No Democrats on the committee showed up. They are boycotting & calling it a political stunt. Jordan tells me he believes they’re staying away because Democrats’ policies triggered the crisis, while @RepAndyBiggsAZ tells me the Democrats’ boycott sends a message of disrespect & hubris to the American public,” the reporter tweeted.

Ranking member U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., the ranking member of the committee, and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., called the  hearings  a brazen act of political grandstanding.”

Tom Tillison
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