Rosendale talks border, government funding, entertains conspiracy theories

Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., held a tele-town hall Wednesday evening where he talked about the recent passage of federal appropriations, the national debt and ongoing issues he has with the U.S. Veterans Administration, as well as taking questions from callers.

The $460 billion appropriations bill funds half of the government through the fall, averting a looming partial government shutdown that would have taken place at the end of this week.

The bill passed the house 339 to 85, with Rosendale saying he was “proudly” among the 85.

He said he opposed the bill because it adds to the national debt, which he said is the biggest threat to the U.S. national security, and because it included, among other things, funding for electric vehicle infrastructure and diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and what he called “critical race theory.”

“Washington has lost its way,” he said.

Rosendale also said the Joe Biden administration is damaging the country’s energy sector by holding up approvals for new coal mines to open to appease “climate extremists.”

He also celebrated a recent ruling by a federal judge that struck down an Obama-era moratorium on new coal mining operations on public lands.

However, the biggest topic in Rosendale’s opening remarks was regarding the VA, which he said is inefficient.

He said he has urged the VA to develop a consent-seeking process for patients before they use any artificial intelligence tools for obtaining diagnoses.

He also said he wants to prohibit the VA from using their finds to submit information on their clients to background check systems that are used when approving the purchase of firearms, as well as any use for diversity, equity or inclusion programs.

He also said he wants to prohibit any VA clinic from treating illegal immigrants, which many conservative lawmakers have accused the VA of doing without evidence.

This claim stems from the VA Financial Services Center processing medical claims for migrant detainees at the southern border for the Immigration Customs Enforcement under an arrangement that has existed since 2002.

VA officials have said this requires fewer than 10 employees and costs next to nothing, and while taxpayer funding is used to process the health care claims, ICE, not the VA, pays for the work and the VA has never provided health care to migrant detainees.

Services for migrant detainees are typically handled through ICE Health Service Corps, which can coordinate off-site care.

Illegal immigration and the border was also a subject of much discussion, with Rosendale claiming that the U.S. southern border is no longer under the control of the U.S. due to the Biden administration’s support for “open borders.”

At no point has Biden advocated for open borders, although many opponents of Democrat immigration policies use that term.

Rosendale called the recent surge of migrants an “invasion” that would “destroy capitalist American life.”

Rosendale cited the recent murder of a Georgia woman as an example of the results of the harm caused by the permissive borders, because the primary suspect in the case is an illegal immigrant who was allowed to stay in the U.S. to pursue his immigration case.

Studies have repeatedly indicated that illegal immigrants are less likely to commit violent crimes than U.S. citizens.

Rosendale said he celebrates the influence of legal immigrants in the U.S. but also supports a five-year total ban on all immigration, except for those using temporary visas for agriculture workers.

He also said that many of the immigrants who make it past border security into the U.S. are terrorists, although he provided no evidence.

During the question and answer section a number of callers expressed belief in conspiracy theories regarding the border that Rosendale made no effort to dispel, including the idea that the United Nations is creating the border crisis as well as the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel.

Rosendale did not directly agree with the caller but did agree with the idea that the U.S. should leave the U.N. and not be beholden to anything they do. He also claimed with no evidence that the organization is collaborating with Hamas.

He said he also supports auditing funds the U.S. has sent to Ukraine to aid its fight against Russia’s invasion, and will not support any aid to them until the border is under control.

He also expressed support for term limits for the House and Senate as well as efforts to “restore” the country’s Second Amendment rights.