A newly introduced bill seeks the reduction of U.S. Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Director Alejandro Mayorkas' salary if monthly border crossing statistics are not promptly released.
Throughout Mayorkas' tenure as secretary, the DHS has routinely released monthly statistics up to three weeks after the end of the previous month. The reports are typically made available on Fridays or Saturdays and subsequently fall under the radar of media outlets.
The Timely Reporting Act from Oklahoma Rep. Stephanie Bice would lower Mayorkas' salary by 25% if the department failed to release border crossing statistics within seven days of the end of the month. Mayorkas' salary reduction would go into effect the following month if the department fails to report on time.
“In an attempt to hide the monthly illegal crossings, they consistently withhold information until late on Fridays or even the weekends to attempt to hide the truth from Americans,” Bice told The Daily Wire. “Our border is out of control and the lack of accountability is fostering chaos. My legislation, the Timely Reporting Act, restores transparency and forces the Biden Administration to report illegal migration data in a timely fashion.”
“If they fail to do their job, they will be held accountable and face cuts to their salaries,” Bice added.
If passed, Mayorkas' salary could be reduced by just over $4,000 per month, totaling over $50,000 in salary reduction of his yearly $203,500 salary.
The legislation currently has 22 Republican cosponsors, according to Bice's office.
Mayorkas and the DHS were highly criticized late last year by Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Mark Green after November's report was released just before Christmas.
“By strategically holding the release of these numbers until the Friday before Christmas, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is unabashedly showing the full measure of his duplicity,” Green said at the time. “This cowardly quest to evade accountability is further reason why my committee is initiating impeachment proceedings against Secretary Mayorkas early in the new year."
Mayorkas was impeached in the House on Tuesday with a razor thin majority of 214 votes in favor of the resolution to 213 in opposition.
Three Republicans, Colorado Rep. Ken Buck, Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher, and California Rep. Tom McClintock, did not support the resolution. Democrats unanimously opposed efforts to impeach Mayorkas.
Mayorkas is the first member of the president's cabinet to be impeached in nearly 150 years.
