In prepared remarks released this week in tandem with a bipartisan deal proposed in the Senate on immigration, the border, and security assistance to a pair of foreign countries, President Joe Biden rhetorically cornered the House GOP, demanding action.
An idea throughout the lengthy negotiations preceding the Senate deal has been specifically pairing progress on the border with that aid, meant to assist Ukraine and Israel as both grapple with external threats, so there’s a lot on the hypothetical table. House Republicans — no matter involvement in the negotiations by fellow Republicans — have largely blasted the whole process, refusing even the possibility to the point the chamber’s GOP leadership says they’re not bringing the deal forward for a vote at all.
“If you believe, as I do, that we must secure the border now, doing nothing is not an option,” the president said on Sunday. “Working with my administration, the United States Senate has done the hard work it takes to reach a bipartisan agreement. Now, House Republicans have to decide. Do they want to solve the problem? Or do they want to keep playing politics with the border? I’ve made my decision. I’m ready to solve the problem. I’m ready to secure the border. And so are the American people. I know we have our divisions at home but we cannot let partisan politics get in the way of our responsibilities as a great nation.”
But here’s what Mike Johnson, the Louisiana Republican currently serving as Speaker of the House, said on Sunday: “I’ve seen enough. This bill is even worse than we expected, and won’t come close to ending the border catastrophe the President has created. As the lead Democrat negotiator proclaimed: Under this legislation, “the border never closes.” If this bill reaches the House, it will be dead on arrival.” Johnson is glossing over the powers provided in the deal to mostly shut the southern border between ports of entry in certain conditions.
