More than a fourth of the House Republican conference traveled to Texas this week, and roughly 24 hours ago, they gathered near the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, which is often used by migrants hoping to enter the United States. As a political matter, there was nothing subtle about any of this: GOP members, led by House Speaker Mike Johnson, see this as a winning issue for the party this election year.
To that end, the Republicans’ photo-op went about as expected. GOP lawmakers blamed the Biden administration; they peddled claims that weren’t altogether true; and some of them even raised the prospect of a government shutdown unless Democrats endorse their regressive anti-immigration proposals.
But the White House had a message of its own. In fact, as Politico reported, Team Biden appears eager to “flip the script” on its Republican critics.
The White House has argued that Republicans carry blame, too. Their point rests on the GOP’s rejection of Biden’s supplemental funding package, which included money to hire new border agents, asylum officers and immigration judges, as well as technology to combat the flow of fentanyl. White House officials also note that Republicans rejected the comprehensive immigration reform plan the president introduced shortly after he took office.
A related report from Government Executive noted that House Republicans “previously approved spending cuts for fiscal 2024 that would have resulted in Border Patrol losing 2,000 positions.”
Or put another way, Republicans appear determined to go on the offensive — or more to the point, stay on the offensive — when it comes to conditions along the U.S./Mexico border, but the White House has a pitch that it believes should put GOP officials on their heels.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a written statement, “On Day One, President Biden proposed a comprehensive immigration reform plan and followed up by delivering record border security funding every single year of his term. House Republicans have obstructed his reform proposal and consistently voted against his unprecedented border security funding year after year, hamstringing our border security in the name of extreme, partisan demands.
“Actions speak louder than words. House Republicans’ anti-border security record is defined by attempting to cut Customs and Border Protection personnel, opposing President Biden’s record-breaking border security funding, and refusing to take up the President’s supplemental funding request.”
Soon after, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters House Republicans are “literally blocking the president’s effort to do something. That’s what they’re doing. They’re playing political games. They’re doing political stunts. Literally, House Republicans themselves voted to decrease the amount of Border Patrol agents by 2,000.” When it comes to assigning blame for the nation’s messy immigration and border policies, there’s no shortage of culprits going back many years, but Team Biden’s rhetoric has the benefit of being true. The Democratic president really has proposed new investments that would likely make a big difference, and many congressional Republicans really have been reluctant to spend the money. It’s tough to predict whether such pushback will make a difference, and given the prevailing political winds, it’s clear that the White House is having a debate on the GOP’s turf: This is, of course, the issue Republicans want to keep in the spotlight. But amidst the debate, I couldn’t help but notice that no one in the GOP has challenged the accuracy of Team Biden’s talking points.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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