Capitalizing on patriotism

As the country enters the fourth week of a partial government shutdown, we believe it’s time that patriotic Americans are given the opportunity to take matters into their own hands.

Last Congress, we introduced legislation that directs the secretary of the Treasury to issue government savings bonds, known as “Border Bonds,” specifically for the construction of a physical barrier on the United States’ southern border. The response to Americans having a chance to contribute voluntarily to funding the wall has been overwhelming. In one case, Iraq War veteran, Brian Kolfage started a GoFundMe account that has raised nearly $20 million to fund the wall from more than 340,000 individual donors.    

{mosads}Today we are introducing a bill, retooled after feedback from the American people. This legislation now allows both the issuance of government bonds, as well as creates a mechanism through the Department of Treasury for the American people to make gift donations to the United States Government that will be used to fund the wall.

Patriotic Americans, when called upon by their country to protect and defend her security, have always been willing to give their blood and treasury if it meant keeping our nation safe. During World War I, through an exhaustive marketing effort that included major Wall Street financiers, to celebrities, to the Boy Scouts, the Treasury sold “Liberty Loans” and “Victory Loans” to patriotic institutional, wealthy, and middle-class investors.

In the years following the attacks on Pearl Harbor and our nation’s entrance into World War II, 85 million Americans purchased $185 billion in war bonds and financially supported our troops while they were fighting for freedom abroad.

Following the Sept. 11 attacks, both houses of Congress passed legislation that would have created “Freedom Bonds.” The Treasury responded by adapting some savings bonds to “Freedom Bonds.”

The threat emanating from our border is real. This is no manufactured crisis. As current members of the House Appropriations Committee, we’ve supported the president’s requests for $5.7 billion for construction of the barrier, only to see the measure killed by Senate Democrats, or stripped out all together by the new Democrat House majority.

While it is not the American people’s responsibility to provide for the national security of our country, Americans have always risen to the occasion when asked by their government. Regardless of political party and at such a time as this. The American people are willing to put our best interests ahead of politics, and we firmly believe the situation on the southern border is an issue for which Americans will answer the call.

Palazzo represents Mississippi’s 4th District. Harris represents Maryland’s 1st District.