In an effort to exploit House Republicans’ stance against a border security agreement as a political wedge, the White House is ramping up its assaults on them over immigration.
Officials from the White House are planning to produce a statement criticising House Speaker Mike Johnson for undercutting the Senate effort and previously stalling the administration’s requests for funding the border.
Andrew Bates, a spokesperson for the White House, stated in a strategy memo that was first obtained by AWN that Speaker Johnson “is now the chief impediment to all 3″—the need to hire more Border Patrol agents, deploy new fentanyl detection equipment, and the six years of continuous arguments that presidents need new legal authority to secure the border.
“Outright admitted [to blocking a deal] for political purposes, after hearing from former President Trump,” he added of certain rank-and-file members.
The memo signifies a notable increase in rhetoric from people within the administration. The White House attempted to preserve a bipartisan solution by remaining mostly silent immediately following former President Trump’s statement against the Senate talks.
It seems like the White House and the House speaker are now trying to shift blame for the influx of migrants at the border onto each other. It comes as a possible Senate deal that would link border policy to substantial money for Israel and Ukraine is in limbo. When asked which party has a better strategy for the border and immigration, polls reveal that Republicans have usually done better with the public.
A spokesman for Johnson has accused President Joe Biden of being responsible for the surge in border crossings caused by the reversal of border restrictions enacted during the Trump administration.
Biden has asked for funds for the border on four separate occasions, according to Bates’s memo. These requests cover fiscal years 2022 and 2023 as well as two supplementary requests.
Even though Republicans in the House have allocated substantial funds for border security, Johnson’s office still blames Biden’s policies, citing a memo it had written in early January.
“In a desperate attempt to shift blame for a crisis their policies have induced, they have argued it’s a funding problem,” wrote spokesperson Raj Shah in that document. “Indeed, their claim is unsupported by any evidence.”
Johnson denied that he is opposed to the deal because Trump is and claimed that it does not go far enough in addressing the border.
Although the Senate has not yet revealed any information of their conversations, Johnson, who is familiar with the proposal, pronounced it “dead on arrival” in his chamber last week. The current administration is attempting to capitalise on the Republican Party’s resistance.
Republicans like Johnson and Trump have argued that the border situation can be resolved without legislation and that Biden is abusing his executive authority. However, Biden is requesting the same powers that Trump sought while in office. And just a few weeks ago, House Republicans argued that H.R. 2, their conservative border bill, should be considered by the Senate.
The leading Republican in the talks, Sen. James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), has criticised his own party members for their political reasons in opposing a possible border accord.
“About four months ago, Republicans united and declared, ‘We will not provide funding for this.'”. What we need is a legislative shift, Lankford stated on Fox News Sunday. They say, “Oh, just kidding” as we’re nearing the finish a few months later. This is a presidential election year, and I really do not want the legislation changed.
The fate of any Senate border deal was practically decided when Johnson said it would die in the House. However, it has also weakened the shaky Republican support in the Senate, making the prospect of an agreement reaching that chamber’s floor a remote one.
There has been no public release of the Senate plan’s text, but it is believed to expedite the asylum procedure and mandate border closures in the event that more than 5,000 people cross the border daily.
