No Crisis at Border, Biden Says; House Approves Resolution Denouncing Biden’s ‘open-border Policies’; 14 Dems Vote with GOP as House Condemns Biden Handling of Southern Border

No Crisis at Border, Biden Says:

President Joe Biden—wearing a brown leather jacket and a black baseball hat—walked out onto the South Lawn of the White House on Saturday morning on his way to Marine One.

He was flying to Camp David for the weekend. But first he stopped to talk to some reporters.

“Mr. President,” one of them asked, “would you call the situation on the southern border a ‘crisis’?”

“No,” said Biden, according to the White House transcript, “but I wish they would react. I’ve been pushing them—my Republican colleagues—since I got into office. I think we have to make major changes at the border. I’ve been pushing it. I’m prepared to make significant alterations at the border. And there are negotiations going on for the last five weeks, so I’m hopeful we’ll get there.”

Another reporter asked Biden if he was willing to take “executive action when it comes to the border to address the border crisis if Republicans don’t pass more funding?”

“Well, Republicans have to pass funding,” Biden said. “They have to—I’ve read one Republican said, ‘We don’t want our border [inaudible] it’ll only help Biden.’”

“I’ve been pushing for fundamental change on the border for a long time—a long time,” said Biden. “And so, I’m hopeful. I’m going to let those negotiations play out. But other than that, I’m going to take action myself.”

Ten days before Biden had this exchange with reporters, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., took a group of more than 60 House Republicans to visit the U.S.-Mexico border at Eagle Pass, Texas.

As these members of Congress gave a press conference there—on the banks of the Rio Grande—a group of illegal aliens began crossing the river behind them. As recorded by C-SPAN, one reporter mentioned this to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan as he took his turn at the podium.

Jordan, R-Ohio, expressed no surprise.

Some reporters moved behind the members of Congress to record the illegal aliens as they came into the United States.

KSAT-TV, an ABC affiliate based in San Antonio, was one news organization that caught video of them. —>READ MORE HERE

House approves resolution denouncing Biden’s ‘open-border policies’:

The House on Wednesday approved a resolution condemning the Biden administration’s border and immigration policies, a move by GOP lawmakers to maintain pressure on the politically polarizing issue in the weeks ahead.

The legislation pins singular blame on President Biden’s “open-border policies” for conditions at the U.S.-Mexico border, highlighting the stark partisanship behind immigration and border policy. It passed 225-187, with 14 Democrats voting in favor.

The vote is the latest example of Republicans running a full-court press on the matters of immigration and border security in the new year, which have proved to be salient issues among voters. It also allows them to message on a topic that has been a weak spot for the Biden administration.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) kicked off the year leading a trip to the border with more than 60 GOP lawmakers, and the House Homeland Security Committee is forging ahead with impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The panel is scheduled to hold the second of four planned hearings on the matter Thursday.

The vote also comes as House Republicans are at odds with Senate Republicans over immigration and border policy. A bipartisan group of senators has been negotiating a border security package for months, after Republicans tied the matter to aid for Ukraine, but House GOP lawmakers say they will not accept a compromise bill from the upper chamber.

On Wednesday, Johnson shut the door on “comprehensive immigration reform,” telling reporters, “I don’t think now is the time for comprehensive immigration reform, because we know how complicated that is.”

Senate negotiators continued talks on border and immigration policy tied to Ukraine aid, and President Biden hosted Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House and Senate minority leaders Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and select committee chairs to discuss the national security package. —>READ MORE HERE

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14 Dems vote with GOP as House condemns Biden handling of southern border

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