The Biden administration came out the gate with the notion that border security was the responsibility of the individual states. I’m sorry, but it’s the Federal government’s job to maintain secure borders and managing foreign relationships. So when the states who have been forced to carry the burden alone act out to bring attention to a very real crisis, I can’t blame them.
Who do you call when the White House ignores you? Personally, I would call it the media. This is exactly what Florida Gov Ron DeSantis did prior to sending 50 illegals to Martha’s Vineyard. Whether you agree with him or not, I think it’s important to understand the incredibly difficult situation states have been put in.
The funding for caring for the large influx of people should pull from the federal budget and not off of the state so the financial burden, alone, is enough to make any leader want to bring attention to the problem.
Do you know what else is taxpayer funded? NPR. They generally act as liberal activists, in my opinion. So it was a nice surprise to see them trying to earn their keep, for once. NPR reporter Franco Ordoñez drilled White House Press Secretary Jean-Pierre on the White Houses’ mishandling of the border and the breakdown in communication between the White House and the states.
Specifically, he asked, “Did the White House ever try to get in touch with Governor DeSantis or Governor Abbott about this to try to reach some type of understanding or a solution?”
Her response was indirect and convoluted as you might expect it to be, but it was a firm ‘no’:
“I mean, there’s no understanding to be reached. They are using people who are leaving a commun- — communist countries as political stunt, instead of — instead of maybe what they should do is call on their senators in their — in their state. Call on, you know, Senator Marco Rubio. Ask Senator Rick Scott why is it that they did not vote for historic funding when it comes to Department of Homeland Security, making sure that we are dealing with this issue. That’s not what they did. This is, again, a political stunt that they are taking for their own — for their own political narrative. It is not about really dealing with what is happening and coming up with a solution.”
Ordoñez didn’t drop the subject. Instead, he pressed her about having sanctuary states shoulder the burden pushed on southern states to care for the influx of people. This would have been a perfect time for her to layout a plan of action to help those states continue offer aid or a transportation plan, but instead she just went on about it being a political stunt:
“It is a cruel, premeditated political stunt. That is not what they’re — that is what they are doing. And so, we’re always — we’re always happy to have conversations about ways to further improve border processing. And we could be doing more if — again, if Republicans in Congress would stop blocking our efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform and also funding — historical funding for DHS. So, again, this is not what border [burden] sharing looks like. They have used the lives of people who are fleeing persecution from communist countries, using them as a political stunt.”
States like Texas and Arizona have reached out over the last two years for help from the government but their calls were ignored. So yes, they’ve taken action to bring attention to the issue but I think it’s a little deeper than a political stunt.
Ordoñez asked Jean-Pierre what it would take to get the White House to work with red states to reach a resolution. The Press Sec basically said that those states would have to vote for Biden’s bills.
That’s it, isn’t it? Play nice and get help.
Watch
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ: Did the White House ever try to get in touch with Governor DeSantis or Governor Abbott about this to try to reach some type of understanding or a solution?
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, there’s no understanding to be reached. They are using people who are leaving a commun- — communist countries as political stunt, instead of — instead of maybe what they should do is call on their senators in their — in their state. Call on, you know, Senator Marco Rubio. Ask Senator Rick Scott why is it that they did not vote for historic funding when it comes to Department of Homeland Security, making sure that we are dealing with this issue. That’s not what they did. This is, again, a political stunt that they are taking for their own — for their own political narrative. It is not about really dealing with what is happening and coming up with a solution.
ORDOÑEZ: And in terms of — in terms of that and understanding that the White House does not support the use of people as a political stunt — but does the White House support the idea or the concepts of states further from the border accepting some more migrants, kind of sharing some of the burden of state resources being used by increasing number of migrants, whether they be from Venezuela, Cuba, or Nicaragua?
JEAN-PIERRE: So, the way that we see it is alerting Fox News and not city or state officials about a plan to abandon children fleeing communism on the side of the street is not burden sharing. That is not the definition that we see of burden sharing. It is a cruel, premeditated political stunt. That is not what they’re — that is what they are doing. And so, we’re always — we’re always happy to have conversations about ways to further improve border processing. And we could be doing more if — again, if Republicans in Congress would stop blocking our efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform and also funding — historical funding for DHS. So, again, this is not what border [burden] sharing looks like. They have used the lives of people who are fleeing persecution from communist countries, using them as a political stunt.
ORDOÑEZ: If the governors were more open about and transparent, would that be more acceptable?
JEAN-PIERRE: What we’re saying is the President has put forward — on day one, he put forward a comprehensive immigration reform, ways to deal with what is at stake here days — the ways to deal with a broken immigration system. He put that forward on day one and what we’re asking is for Republicans in Congress to help us come up with a solution to look at what this President put forward on day one, and they are not doing that. Instead, they’re doing political stunts.