Speaker Johnson Blasts Biden's Support of Senate Border Deal

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) criticized President Biden for supporting the Senate-backed U.S.-Mexico border deal, asserting that executive action could effectively address Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) daily encounters without the need for new legislation.

In a post on the platform previously known as Twitter, Johnson refuted Biden's claim that closing the southern border requires Congress to pass a new law, emphasizing that he had communicated to Biden in a letter last year about the President's executive authority to take immediate action.

Mike Johnson denounces President Biden’s support of Senate-backed border deal https://t.co/vzBxmjKZC2

— The Hill (@thehill) January 28, 2024

Johnson outlined specific measures, suggesting Biden could end catch-and-release, cease exploiting parole authority, reinstate the Remain in Mexico program, expand expedited removal authority, and resume border wall construction.

“President Biden falsely claimed yesterday he needs Congress to pass a new law to allow him to close the southern border, but he knows that is untrue,” Johnson said.

“As I explained to him in a letter late last year, and have specifically reiterated to him on multiple occasions since, he can and must take executive action immediately to reverse the catastrophe he has created," he added.

Urging Biden to utilize existing legal authority, Johnson emphasized the need to restore national sovereignty and halt the mass release of illegal aliens.

Biden, on Friday, vowed to shut down the U.S.-Mexico border "when it becomes overwhelmed" if bipartisan border security legislation passes Congress.

Johnson dismissed the negotiated legislation as "dead on arrival" in the GOP-led House if rumors about the border deal were accurate.

In response, the White House suggested that House Republicans must choose between contributing to a bipartisan solution or scoring political points.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre conveyed this message to reporters on Friday.

The ongoing Senate negotiations involve the border bill along with funding for Ukraine and other U.S. allies. CBP confirmed a record-setting 302,024 total encounters at the U.S. southern border in December last year.