The White House on Thursday expanded on comments President Joe Biden gave to reporters before departing for Illinois on the prospects of reaching a border deal with Republicans.
Biden said on the tarmac before boarding Air Force One that he was “open to discussions about the border” as it relates to Republican counterdemands to his funding requests to help Ukraine fend off Russia’s invasion and Israel take out Hamas after the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.
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A number of Republican lawmakers have voiced opposition to Biden’s $106 billion supplemental aid package for Ukraine and Israel unless Biden couples it with policy changes on border security, demands the White House previously framed as unrealistic.
In addition to funding for Ukraine and Israel, Biden’s supplemental request does include a $14 billion funding increase to boost staffing at the Department of Homeland Security to process migrants but doesn’t go as far as Republicans would like to impose tighter restrictions on asylum and parole.
White House deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton faced questions on Biden’s remarks during Thursday’s flight to Illinois and claimed that the president “has supported comprehensive immigration reform since Day 1.”
“If Republicans want to have a serious conversation about reforms that will improve our immigration system, we are open to that discussion as the president just said a few moments ago,” Dalton said when asked if the president has reached out to any GOP lawmakers to begin those discussions. “What we disagree with is many of the policies contained in the Senate Republican border proposal they put forward, and further, we don’t see anything in that proposal about creating an earned path to citizenship for Dreamers and others.”
“We believe that Congress should fund the president’s supplemental request to secure the border now,” Dalton continued. “You know, as the president just said a few moments ago, he’s open to serious discussions on border security, nothing to preview specifically there though.”
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You can listen to Thursday’s gaggle in full below.
