House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said former President Donald Trump is “not calling the shots” when it comes to how Republican lawmakers will approach a border security deal.
“He’s not calling the shots. I am calling the shots for the House, that’s our responsibility,” Johnson said during a Sunday appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I have been saying this far longer than what President Trump has, I have been saying what the requirements are to fix the problem. I don’t care if they call the legislation H.R. 2 or not, what we’re saying is you have to stem the flow.”
Johnson’s comments come as a bipartisan group of senators closes in on a border deal that Johnson has previously said is a “nonstarter in the House,” according to a report from ABC News, arguing that the bill does not do enough to secure the border.
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Trump himself has also come out against the deal, saying any GOP lawmaker that votes for it should be “ashamed of themselves.”
Representatives for Johnson and Trump did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Last week, Johnson took to the House floor and criticized some of the details of the Senate legislation, including rumors that the president could be allowed to shut down the border after 5,000 people illegally enter the country.
“But apparently, we’re concocting some sort of deal to allow the president to shut down the border after 5,000 people break the law. Why is it 5,000? If you add that up, that’d be a million more illegals into our country every year before we take remedial measures. This is madness. We should be asking what kind of enforcement authority kicks in at 5,000 illegal a day. The number should be zero,” Johnson said, according to the ABC News report.
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During his appearance on “Meet the Press” Sunday, Johnson argued that President Biden has authority to act on the border without the need for legislation.
“The president has executive authority right now as Congress does this negotiation and the debate and discussion, the president could stop it,” Johnson argued. “He could close the border, literally, overnight.”
Several Republican lawmakers have expressed opposition to the deal in recent days, though Johnson told “Meet the Press” that he hasn’t been offered a briefing by the Senate on the details of the proposed legislation.
“I’ve had individual senators call and give me tips and offered things that are going on in the room, but we have not been a part of that negotiation,” Johnson said.
Meanwhile, Biden has argued that he needs lawmakers to give him more authority to act on the border.
“I’ve done all I can do,” he told reporters last week, according to ABC News, adding that it was on lawmakers to reach a deal and that he would “shut down” the border if it became overwhelmed and if given the authority to do so.
“Give me the Border Patrol. Give me the people, give me the people who judge it. Give me the people who can stop this and make it work,” Biden said.
The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
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