Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., told Newsmax on Tuesday that House Republicans did not attach a bill that would prevent illegal aliens from being counted in the census to must-pass legislation, like funding for Ukraine, because that would have killed the foreign aid bill.
"Most likely, if this were in the bill, the thing would have been dead, and I think we have an obligation to stop [Russian President Vladimir] Putin where he is; and for the rest of Europe, there's so many different consequences," Murphy said during an appearance on Newsmax's "The Chris Salcedo Show." "I think, sadly enough, we're developing a little bit of isolationism here in the United States, not looking at the big picture. We're in 1939 right now, and if we act like we … are turning a blind eye to the rest of the world, we will end up having to have boots on the ground with NATO – as we've signed a treaty with NATO – in the not too distant future. So, we have to be a little bit further out in front of our skis to really see what the ramifications can occur for not participating in the world politic."
On Wednesday, House Republicans passed the Equal Representation Act in a party-line 206-202 vote, according to The Hill. The measure would direct the Census Bureau to add a citizenship question to the 10-year survey and require that the U.S. government only count citizens when determining the number of congressional seats for each state.
Allocating representatives based solely on U.S. citizens would have a net positive effect for the Republican Party, studies have shown.
The bill faces an uncertain future, given the Democrat-controlled Senate and the Biden administration's stated opposition.
When host Salcedo pointed out that Democrats frequently attach unrelated bills to must-pass legislation, Murphy brought up the House GOP's razor-thin majority.
"The Democrats do it all the time, but I think folks need to realize that we have such a slim majority, and if we're ever going to get anything done in this Congress, we're going to have people, especially on the Republican side now, that are voting against everything that we're trying to do," he said. "We're actually trying to get some things done for the American people; not just sit here in gridlock. You know, some things have to be done with some Democratic support and if this [the Equal Representation Act] were put on there, it wouldn't happen."
"You know, we had to go against the D.C. folks here who are running their city that wanted literally Russian nationals who are at their embassy to be able to vote in their elections," he continued. "So no, this may not pass into bill, but I think it's important that the American people understand what is going on with the migrant crisis, and primarily, this is being done to try to manipulate congressional districts in the future."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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