The White House once again blamed House Republicans for the ongoing crisis at the border after Speaker of the House Mike Johnson slammed the Biden administration for its handling of the border crisis during a February 3 interview, The Hill reported.
While appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Johnson said he was not offered a briefing on the negotiated Senate foreign aid bill that included border security. Johnson argued that President Biden already has the executive authority to secure the southern border and does not need new legislation from Congress to exercise it.
In response to Johnson’s claims, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement that the speaker was continuing to “tie himself in knots” by claiming that the president already had the authority to act on the border.
Bates accused Speaker Johnson of opposing the Senate border measures because Donald Trump was opposed to it.
Johnson made it clear on “Meet the Press” that Donald Trump is not the one “calling the shots” in the House, asserting that he is the one who calls the shots.
Despite Andrew Bates’ claims, NBC News reported last Wednesday that the White House was considering executive action to deter the flow of illegal immigrants crossing the southern border after Senate Republicans blocked the foreign aid package that included border and immigrant measures negotiated by Senators Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), James Lankford (R-OK), and Chris Murphy (D-CT).
White House officials told NBC News that while the executive orders being considered could upset Congressional progressives, the Democrat mayors who have been asking for help from the Biden administration to deal with the influx of illegals would be pleased.
One official told NBC News that executive action would be a “plan B,” arguing that the negotiated border security measures from the Senate would do more to secure the border.
Biden has been facing increasing backlash over his administration’s failure to secure the southern border. A recent NBC News poll found that voters trust Donald Trump more than Joe Biden by over 30 points when it comes to securing the border.
