On 1/30/2024, during a press briefing at the Capitol, Johnson (R-La.) accused Biden of “pretending not to know” as president that he has the power to enact executive orders to assist in border enforcement. Speaker Johnson insisted that Biden already has the authority to shutdown the border and that no additional legislation is needed.
As you all well know. Many months ago, the House Republican majority passed H.R. two. That’s
our Secure the Border Act, which has all the necessary provisions to get this catastrophe under control. Why didn’t we pass the legislation? We passed it because the president has refused to use his executive authority to reverse the catastrophe that he used his executive authority to create.
That’s the fact. We’re desperate to try to get this done. We’ve been trying for nine months longer to reverse the damage that they’ve done. The president has refused to act.
Secretary Mayorkas has presided over and helped usher in the largest illegal immigration catastrophe in our nation’s history. It’s not even close. Again, this is a self-evident truth that everyone knows He has willfully undermined America’s laws. He’s made false statements to Congress and the American people. He made false statements to me personally and the Judiciary Committee many months ago, and he has handicapped law enforcement.
Just last week, we received word that more than 302,000 illegal immigrants crossed our border In December alone, 302,001 month. It continues. You know, that barely made headlines. Why? Because that’s the new normal. Under Secretary Mallorca’s lack of leadership.
now the president this is laughable. The president is trying to switch, you know, flip the script. He wants to try to blame House Republicans in some way for the national security and humanitarian catastrophes that he caused. I can’t make a full judgment on the national security supplemental as the full details have not yet been released.
But based on the news reports of this agreement that have been leaked, that Secretary Mayorkas, by the way, helped negotiate, it seems the new authority to shut down the border would kick in only after as many as 5000 illegal crossings happen each day. Why? Why would we do that? Illegal immigration is illegal is against the law. Why would you tolerate 5000 a day before you start to to suddenly enforce the law?
That would be surrender. The goal should be zero illegal crossings a day, not 5000. And all the president’s authority should be utilized at zero.
60 to 70% of the people that cross there are single adult males with it within these ages, maybe 18 to 40.
We saw this with our own two eyes. We talked to the people on the ground. We have an unmitigated crisis and the president can take executive authority immediately and he’s pretend as though he does not know that it’s it’s outrageous.
But the Biden administration has said they do not have the legal authority to do what Republicans claim they can. “Today, Speaker Johnson claimed he believes action should be taken to secure the border. Yet it is House Republicans who are saying they will block an historic bipartisan border security deal supported by President Biden that will deliver much-needed law enforcement …” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement on Tuesday.
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Speaker Johnson: laughable Biden “pretending not to know” to enact executive orders for border