The top four House Republicans slammed the Senate’s bipartisan border deal in a Monday statement, calling it a “waste of time.”
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), and Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) collectively urged the Senate to reject the deal and promised it is dead on arrival in the House in any case.
“House Republicans oppose the Senate immigration bill because it fails in every policy area needed to secure our border and would actually incentivize more illegal immigration,” the statement reads.
“Among its many flaws, the bill expands work authorizations for illegal aliens while failing to include critical asylum reforms,” it continues. “Even worse, its language allowing illegals to be ‘released from physical custody’ would effectively endorse the Biden ‘catch and release’ policy.”
Illegal immigration has surged under President Joe Biden, who rescinded many of former President Donald Trump‘s border policies upon taking office. Biden is urging Congress to take action and saying Republicans are to blame for the chaos, but it appears few in the GOP will back the deal as constructed.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is planning a Wednesday vote on the legislation, and Biden has urged Congress to pass the $118 billion bill that also includes aid for Ukraine and Israel.
The House quartet specifically slammed the deal’s presidential border shutdown authority, which is triggered if border crossings average 5,000 a day for one week.
“The so-called ‘shutdown’ authority in the bill is anything but, riddled with loopholes that grant far too much discretionary authority to [Department of Homeland Security] Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas — who has proven he will exploit every measure possible, in defiance of the law, to keep the border open,” the leaders state.
They also say the bill fails to stop Biden’s “abuse” of parole authority while providing “taxpayer funds to fly and house illegal immigrants in hotels through the FEMA Shelter and Services Program.”
Stefanik has drawn buzz as a possible vice presidential nominee for Trump, and she was the first of the GOP leadership team to back Trump for another White House term.
Trump has railed against the deal, writing on Truth Social that “we already have the right to CLOSE THE BORDER NOW, which must be done.”
“This Bill is a great gift to the Democrats, and a Death Wish for The Republican Party,” Trump posted.
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The House GOP leadership pointed back to its own legislation, the Secure the Border Act, which the lower chamber passed last May but has no chance in the Senate.
“Because President Biden has refused to utilize his broad executive authority to end the border catastrophe that he has created, the House led nine months ago with the passage of the Secure the Border Act (H.R. 2),” the statement reads. “That bill contains the necessary components to actually stem the flow of illegals and end the present crisis. The Senate must take it up immediately.”
