Global Courant 2023-05-11 05:44:11
House Republicans talk about border security all the time.
“The border is wide open,” said Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., on Fox.
“We expect massive waves of people to come,” said Mark Green, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, R-Tenn.
“There is drug trafficking,” said Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, of R-Tex.
BORDER PATROL TAKES OVER 10,000 MIGRANTS PER DAY BEFORE END OF TITLE 42, HIGHEST EVER RECORDED
“Unaccompanied Children!” thundered Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Tex., on Fox.
But doing something about the border proved elusive for the Republican majority in the House for months. Maybe until now. Republicans aim to pass a bill this week.
This accomplishes two goals for the GOP. The bill coincides with the end of Title 42 and an expected increase at the border. But Republicans also campaigned for border security during the midterm elections.
“I promise you that if we get the majority, we will secure this border,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., promised last September as the GOP rolled out its policy agenda.
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 11: Then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks at a news conference with House Republicans regarding US-Mexico border policy outside the Capitol on March 11, 2021 in Washington, DC. US Customs and Border Protection announced on Wednesday that more than 100,000 people had attempted to enter the southern US border in February, a 28 percent increase from January. ((Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images))
But consensus eluded Republicans on the issue. They hoped to pass a border security package during the winter, but ran into trouble. The GOP missed the vote by its narrow majority.
“We’ve only been in office for four months,” House Ways and Means Committee chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., protested to Fox. “It’s not about a time frame.”
But the “time frame” arrived this week as the pandemic-era Title 42 policy expires at the border. That’s why the GOP is angling for approval of the bill.
As with the debt ceiling bill last month, McCarthy hoped to make the package a “take it or leave it” proposition — not open to amendments or changes. But that goal became a reality Tuesday night when the House Rules Committee prepared the border bill for debate.
EL PASO BORDER SHELTERS ALREADY ‘OVERWHELMED’ BEFORE THE END OF TITLE 42
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., indicated early in the week that he was no. On Twitter, Massie characterized the inclusion of E-Verify (a program to document the eligibility status of employees in the US) into the GOP law as “a big mistake”. He argued that the Biden administration could use E-Verify as “the ultimate EMPLOYMENT on/off switch”.
Some members also opposed a plan to give the Secretary of Homeland Security the power to designate cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
The House Rules Committee met into the early hours of Wednesday morning to set the playing field to consider the bill. But Republicans knew they had to change the bill to appease potential no votes.
The House cannot bring an actual bill to the table unless it smooths out the “rule” for debate on the issue.
Migrants wait at the Gateway International Port of Entry under US Customs and Border Protection custody in Brownsville, Texas, Friday, May 5, 2023, before being returned to Mexico under Title 42. ((AP Photo/Veronica G. Cardenas))
“I wouldn’t bet against McCarthy and our Whip team. It’s going to be close,” said a senior Republican associated with the leadership.
Fox is told that just ending Title 42 could convince some reluctant GOPers to vote yes, even if they have reservations about the bill.
“Every vote in the House is like the Dangers of Pauline,” said a source of the tight voting margins the GOP has to navigate in the House. “But somehow she always seems to avoid being run over by the train.”
That’s probably the scenario for most of the big votes in the House for this Congress.
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Again, this is about the math.
Democrats have recently struggled to get all their members to speak on other major ballots. But if all Democrats are present and voting (213), that means the Republicans can only lose four on their side. Repeated Democratic absences in large votes have helped Republicans advance bills by slim margins. Democrats could make the GOP sweat if they get everyone over.
However, GOP horse trading could get the votes to pass the bill.
McCarthy said two weeks ago that the debt ceiling bill was “closed”. Still, McCarthy reopened the bill in the middle of the night with amendments to bring to court a coalition of Midwestern conservatives and Republicans who were “no” to the bill for various reasons. Some Republicans saw that precedent as an opportunity to make concessions to McCarthy. Not giving in would cause problems when the measure was approved.
Migrants cross a barbed wire fence into the United States from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. The U.S. prepares for the end of the Title 42 policy on Thursday, May 11, coupled with the coronavirus pandemic that is rapidly evicting many migrants seeking asylum to search. ((AP photo/Christian Chavez))
Failing to pass a border security package would be a blow to the House GOP — especially since it was a primary part of the Republican agenda.
Democrats will not help with this bill – just as they did not help Republicans in the House of Representatives with their debt ceiling in April.
“Can you tell me what the final construction of the boundary law really is?” asked House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif. “In the middle of the night they made more changes. I haven’t seen every change they made to this bill.”
Other Democrats argued that the GOP bill would make things worse.
“It just kind of shows the failure of Title 42,” said Dick Durbin, D-Ill, chairman of the Senate Majority and Judiciary Committee. “Their bill does not allow new legal entry into this country, erases almost all humanitarian protections for families seeking asylum, and makes the situation at the border even worse.”
Republicans believe the Biden administration’s handling of the border is a winning issue for them. They like to underline the problems with the expiration of Title 42.
“It’s going to be an invasion like we’ve never seen in the history of this country,” said Senator John Barrasso, R-Wyo.
Barrasso then called Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas “evil” and accused him of lying about the border.
“With the open border system we have, the drug cartels benefit,” said Tennessee Rep. Mark Green on Fox.
“The cartels do the human trafficking,” said Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., “They are making thousands of dollars from every child they bring into the country through this gruesome and dangerous process.”
“We are in a crisis,” said Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind.
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The burden of proof is on the House Republicans. They campaigned for border security. Their border security bill will not make it to the Senate, let alone make it onto President Biden’s desk. But this is the GOP’s problem.
Passing the bill would be a major victory for the party.
Otherwise, they have a lot to talk about.
Chad Pergram is currently senior congressional correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based in Washington, DC
