House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) shared a pointed message for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) Monday night, doubling down on the Republican majority’s rejection of the Senate’s latest border legislation.
Hours after Schumer told Johnson to “do the right thing” concerning the latest border legislation, Johnson appeared on the Ingraham Angle to respond, saying, “Sen. Schumer isn’t listening, apparently.”
“Here’s my message to Sen. Schumer: The American people are running the show here. We are the representatives of our constituents. The American people are on our side. They recognize this catastrophe has been disastrous for the country,” Johnson said. “Every state is a border state. And everybody knows it.”
“I’m going to make this point again because Sen. Schumer isn’t listening, apparently,” he continued. “The president of the United States has the authority right now to fix this crisis. He has broad executive authority under the federal statutes, and Chuck Schumer knows it and President Biden knows it. And they refuse to use that. They could stop this. They could stop the flow immediately. But they don’t want to.”
The bill aims to provide financial aid to Ukraine and address the border crisis, although Johnson called the legislation “an immigration bill, not a border security bill.”
Johnson also noted that reports of Border Patrol union support of the legislation are likely due to the “pay structure that’s in the bill. I understand that they are desperate for measures that will assist.”
The speaker pointed to conversations with Border Patrol agents during his trip to the southern border last month that highlighted the “open fire hydrant” of illegal immigrants crossing the border.
“We need to stop the flow. We know how to do it,” Johnson reiterated. “The president has the existing authority under the statutes, and he ought to use it. He could suspend all entries into the country if he deems it to be in the nation’s interest.”
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Johnson promised he and his GOP colleagues would do everything in their power to stop the Senate’s bill.
“When I said it’s dead on arrival, I mean dead on arrival,” the speaker said. “We are going to have to work this every other angle that we can and make sure we’re taking care of our responsibilities here.”
