It was suggested on Friday by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) that President Biden is being prevented from acting as an executive to stop the migrant influx at the southern border by his staff.
Johnson stated on Fox Business on Friday morning,”He knows that he has the authority. We’ve documented it for him. I’ve read to him the law myself — to the president. Read him the provisions of the law and said, ‘Mr. President, please take action.'”
“I don’t think he’s allowed to do it. I’m not sure Joe Biden is actually making these decisions. I think it’s staff around him, and they’re pushing him to hold the — or to keep the border open,” Johnson stated.
For weeks, Johnson has been urging Biden to take executive action on border and migration policies. This includes reinstating the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy and resuming the construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall. Johnson argues that new authority from Congress is unnecessary for these actions.
Simultaneously, Johnson is critical of a bipartisan Senate deal that ties an increase in Ukraine aid to border and migration policy changes. A
lthough the bill’s text is not yet released, Johnson declares it “dead on arrival” in the House if its reported contents align with the press.
The White House disputes the notion that Biden can take further executive action and accuses the Speaker of resisting the Senate border deal while advocating for executive actions, citing political motives.
Despite previous calls for the enactment of other border legislation, Johnson faces pressure from former President Trump, who encourages Republicans to reject the Senate border deal.
“Speaker Johnson claimed he believes action should be taken to secure the border. Yet it is House Republicans who are saying they will block an historic bipartisan border security deal supported by President Biden that will deliver much-needed law enforcement hiring and investments in cutting-edge technology to stop fentanyl trafficking,” In a statement earlier this week, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates stated.
The language of the border-Ukraine agreement will be made public by Sunday, according to a statement made on Thursday by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).
Even though Johnson objects to the information that have been disclosed, he is not abandoning the measure entirely.
“The devil is in the details. We’ll check it out,” Johnson said on Fox Business. “I’m not prejudging anything, but I’ve told them the necessary elements of H.R. 2 are what are required to get control of the border. I’ve been consistent, and that’s our standard. We’ll be looking for that.”
