NEIL: ALL RIGHT.
LET’S HOPE AT LEAST.
RICH EDSON, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
TWO DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMEN
WATCHING THIS QUITE CLOSELY,
DEMOCRAT FROM TEXAS WHO SITS ON
THE FINANCIAL SERVICES
COMMITTEE, CONGRESSMAN, THANK
YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS PLAN,
MONEY IN HELPING OUT THESE
COUNTRIES THAT ARE IN A WORLD OF
HURT?
SOUNDS GOOD ON PAPER, BUT WE’VE
DONE THIS BEFORE, AND SOMEHOW
THAT MONEY DOESN’T ALWAYS GET TO
THE PEOPLE WE WANT IT TO.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> WELL, I DON’T HAVE ADVOCATE
FORKING WRITING A BLANK CHECK TO
ANY OF THESE COUNTRIES.
SURGICAL PROJECTS IN AREAS WHERE
PEOPLE MIGRATE FROM.
PEOPLE DON’T MIGRATE FROM THE
ENTIRE WITH COUNTRY OF
GUATEMALA, THEY MIGRATE FROM
CERTAIN POCKETS THAT HAVE
DIFFERENT CHALLENGES, AND I
THINK WE NEED OF TO HAVE
SURGICAL A APPROACHES.
GOING IN THERE WITH AMERICAN
CONTRACTORS AND PUBLIC/PRIVATE
PARTNERSHIPS AND NGOs AND HAVE
A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO GOING IN
THERE AND MAKING INVESTMENTS
THAT CREATE JOBS AND SECURITY ON
THE GROUND TO INCENTIVIZE PEOPLE
TO NOT MIGRATE.
I VISITED ONE TOUR U.S.
ATTRACTION AROUND A PAIR MIDDLE
IN GOT -- PYRAMID THAT HAD JUST
BEEN DEVELOPED A FEW YEARS BACK
AND BECAME AN ATTRACTIONMENT
TOURISTS WERE GOING TO VISIT,
AND MIGRATION AROUND THAT AREA
HAD DROPPED ALMOST TO NOTHING,
YOU KNOW?
SO SO PEOPLE STOPPED MIGRATING
BECAUSE NOW THEY FOUND JOBS,
THEY WERE ABLE TO PUT FOOD ON
THE TABLE AND THE HOUSE -- A
ROOF OVER THEIR HEADS.
SO THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF
INTELLIGENT INVESTMENTS WE
SHOULD BE MAKING THIS
AGRICULTURE AND TOURISM AND
MANUFACTURING IN THOSE COUNTRIES
THAT CREATE JOBS AND,
ULTIMATELY, CREATES CONDITIONS
WHERE PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO
MIGRATE.
I THINK WE LEARNED A LOT DURING
COVID.
WE SAW ALL THESE SUPPLY CHAINS
BREAK DOWN WITH CHINA.
I THINK WE SHOULD USE THAT AS AN
OPPORTUNITY TO INVITE AMERICAN
BUSINESSES THAT ARE
MANUFACTURING IF CHINA TO GO
DOWN TO THESE NORTHERN TRIANGLE
COUNTRIES AND HAVE THESE
OPERATIONS THERE AND INCENTIVIZE
THEM TO CREATE JOBS CLOSER TO
HOME THAT HAVE IMPACTS ON OUR
SOUTHERN BORDER.
NEIL: I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY
THE SURGE THAT WE’VE BEEN SEEING
AS THE BORDER, CONGRESSMAN, IT’S
NOT LETTING UP.
DO YOU THINK THE PRESIDENT SHOULD GO DOWN TO THE BORDER?
DO YOU THINK THE VICE PRESIDENT
GETTING TO THE PROBLEMS THAT
CAUSED THIS, SHOULD GET DOWN TO
THE BORDER?
>> WELL, I THINK WE NEED TO WORK
ON SOLUTIONS WHETHER THEY COME
DOWN HERE OR DO IT FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE OR GO DOWN TO
CENTRAL AMERICA X. WHAT I’VE
BEEN ADVOCATING FOR IS HAVING
PROCESSING CENTERS WHERE WE
COULD PROCESS ASYLUM SEEKERS
CLOSER TO THEIR HOME COUNTRY, ON
MEXICO’S SOUTHERN BORDER AND
ALONG THE WAY.
AND ONCE THEY HAVE AN ASYLUM
CLAIM THAT QUALIFIES, THEY’RE
ABLE TO GET ON A PLAN AND HAVE
JUST AN ORDERLY PROCESS TO
DEALING WITH THE MIGRATION
ISSUE.
AND CERTAINLY DEAL WITH -- WE
HAVE TO COME TO TERMS WITH OVER
80% NEVER QUALIFYING FOR ASYLUM,
AND IT’S AN INDEPENDENT PROBLEM
WITH OUR IMMIGRATION SYSTEM IN
THIS COUNTRY.
I THINK WE NEED A ROBUST GUEST
WORKER PROGRAM BECAUSE, CLEARLY,
WE HAVE A SHORTAGE OF LABOR IN
THIS COUNTRY.
THAT’S WHY EVERYONE WHO COMES TO
OUR BORDER ENDS UP BEING
ABSORBED BY OUR ECONOMY.
WE NEED TO ADDRESS THIS.
WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR SOUTHERN
BORDER IS THE RESULT OF OUR
BROKEN IMMIGRATION SYSTEM AND
LACK OF INVESTMENT IN THESE
THREE CENTRAL AMERICAN COUNTRIES
THAT I THINK IS THE ROOT CAUSE
OF THE MIGRATION THAT WE’RE
SEEING HERE.
AND WE NEED TO, YOU KNOW, STOP
PLACING BLAME -- TO ME, IT’S NOT
IDEOLOGICAL OR POLITICAL.
MY DISTRICT IS ON THE BORDER,
AND TO US THIS IS EVERYDAY LIFE,
AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT’S
BEEN HAPPENING FOR DECADES.
AND ADMINISTRATION IF AFTER
ADMINISTRATION REGARDLESS OF THE
PARTY HASN’T GOTTEN IT RIGHT,
AND WE KEEP DEALING WITH IT.
NEIL: TO YOUR POINT, THEY NEED
TO --
[INAUDIBLE CONVERSATIONS]
NEIL: YOU’RE RIGHT ABOUT THAT,
AND THEY’RE NOT DOING THAT.
COULD I SWITCH GEARS WHILE I
HAVE YOU, CONGRESSMAN, OBVIOUSLY
THE PRESIDENT’S GOING TO DEBUT
HIS INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN, AND IT
CALLS FOR A LOT OF TAX HIKES.
SOME OF THEM, THE SPENDING THAT
HE’S PROPOSED HAS VERY LITTLE
TOO OLD WITH INFRASTRUCTURE.
ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THAT --
TO DO WITH INFRASTRUCTURE.
ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THAT
PARTICULARLY WHERE THE GOAL TO
MOVE AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUELS AND
REGULAR OIL WHICH, OF COURSE, IS
AMONG THE LIFE BLOODS OF YOUR
STATE?
>> I, WELL, I CAN TELL YOU THAT
THE ENERGY SECTOR, OIL AND GAS
ISN’T GOING AWAY OVERNIGHT.
WE MANUFACTURE TELEPHONES, WE
HAVE A LOT OF BY-PRODUCTS THAT
COME FROM ENERGY, AND I THINK
WE -- ALSO, THAT IS ANOTHER,
ENERGY IS ALSO, SHOULD BE
APPROACHED HOLISTICALLY.
IT’S NOT GOING TO BE OIL AND GAS
OR JUST ELECTRIC OR JUST SOLAR
OR WIND.
I THINK WE’RE GOING TO HAVE ALL
OF THEM.
AND I THINK THAT’S HOW WE
CONTINUE BEING AN
ENERGY-INDEPENDENT COUNTRY AND
WE CONTINUE TO EXPORT AMERICAN
ENERGY, ESPECIALLY OIL AND GAS
FROM TEXAS.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO
ALSO REALIZE THAT OUR CARBON
EMISSIONS HAVE BEEN REDUCED 40%
YOU HAVE BECAUSE OF OUR NATURAL
GAS PRODUCTION AND HAS GOT US
OFF BURNING COAL.
WE’RE DOING BETTER THAN MANY
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES BECAUSE OF
IT.
SO I THINK OIL AND GAS IS HERE
FOR A LONG TERM, AND I THINK THE
TRANSITION, WHENEVER WE DO SEE
THAT TRANSITION, YOU’RE GOING TO
SEE TRADITIONAL ENERGY COMPANIES
OUT OF TEXAS AND OTHER PLACES
AROUND THE WORLD LEADING THE
WAY.
NEIL: WE SHALL SEE.
CONGRESSMAN GONZALEZ, THANK YOU
VERY MUCH.