During Monday’s press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Congressional Republicans should have to answer for the illegal immigration crisis at the border – even though the crisis began when Democrats controlled the House, Senate, and presidency, and Republicans only gained control of the House in January.
Jean-Pierre’s comments came in response to a reporter asking about 2024 Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis’ attacks on the Biden administration for the border crisis.
“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was on the border, and he is escalating his attacks against the Biden administration, who in his words, he calls, ‘the critical link in an illegal transnational human smuggling syndicate.’ I’m wondering if the White House has any response to that kind of rhetoric,” RealClearPolitics’ Phil Wegmann asked
“I’m going to be careful because, yes, he is the governor, but he is also a candidate, so I’m bound by the Hatch Act,” Jean-Pierre responded. “I’m going to be incredibly careful and I’m not going to comment on campaign matters, so what I can speak to is more broadly. And I will remind you that Congressional Republicans just voted, literally they just voted a few weeks ago, a month ago, to — for the biggest border security cut in history. The biggest cut in history, when it came to the ‘Default On America Act.’ That’s what that was. Part of that act was to cut border security and that’s what they voted on.”
“And meanwhile, what this president has done, he has secured record funding for border security, he has a record number of agents and officers securing our border, and is implementing policies that has resulted in significant drops in unlawful border crossings since Title 42 [ended]. That is what the president has done,” she claimed.
“And so, you know, I’m going to be very mindful in how I respond. But speaking more broadly, the question is to not us but it is to Congressional Republicans and what they have done to make this situation even more difficult by cutting the budget — by voting to cut the budget for border security and not supporting this president in what he has been trying to do,” she added.