House Republicans on Thursday approved a resolution condemning Vice President Harris as the Biden administration’s “Border Czar,” the latest move by Republican lawmakers to criticize Harris as she prepares a bid for the White House after President Biden withdrew from the race.
The resolution – led by Representative Elise Stefanik (NY), chair of the Republican Party conference – passed the chamber by 220 votes to 196. Six Democrats voted “yes”.
House GOP leaders added the resolution to the voting calendar on Monday, a day after Biden announced he was dropping out of the race and endorsing Harris as the new running mate, a decision that shook the political landscape and forced Republicans to recalibrate your messages on the run.
The resolution offers a glimpse into how Republicans plan to campaign against Harris.
The measure, which spans four pages, takes aim at Harris’ handling of the situation at the southern border, referring to her as the Biden administration’s “Border Czar.” Biden in 2021 selected Harris to lead the administration’s efforts to address the root causes of migration, an issue that was hot when Democrats entered the White House that year. He did not, however, formally give Harris the title “Frontier Czar.”
The focus on Harris’ handling of the situation at the southern border comes as multiple polls show voters are more concerned about the border and immigration this election cycle.
“No matter what congressional district you go to, the number one problem facing Americans is Kamala Harris’s open border crisis,” Stefanik said during Thursday’s House floor debate. “And by every metric, Kamala Harris has failed to secure our borders, instead promoting the failed open borders policies of Far Left Democrats and the needs of illegal immigrants to the detriment of the safety of Americans.”
“Kamala Harris failed to oversee American security by refusing to secure the border,” she later added. “She has proven that she is not prepared to lead.”
The resolution says Harris spent “93 days as border czar before finally visiting the southern border on June 25, 2021,” and quotes former U.S. Border Patrol chief Raul Ortiz, who told “60 Minutes ” from CBS who did not have a conversation with Harris or Biden during his term.
“The open border policies of President Biden’s far-left Democrats and border czar Harris are to blame for this historic crisis,” the legislation argues.
The White House rejected Republican attacks on Harris, defending the administration’s handling of the situation at the southern border and criticizing Republican lawmakers for rejecting the bipartisan border deal that senators reached earlier this year.
Former President Trump urged Republicans to oppose the legislation, torpedoing the effort.
“As we speak, congressional Republicans continue their months-long blockade of critical resources for ICE and Border Patrol in the tough bipartisan border security agreement supported by the Biden-Harris administration,” said White House spokesman Andrew Bates , in a statement earlier this week. .
“President Biden and Vice President Harris are leading the way on border security, while congressional Republicans sabotage it by shamefully siding with Donald Trump, fentanyl traffickers, and human smugglers over our national security,” he added.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) accused Republicans of being disingenuous in calling Harris the “Border Czar.”
“The vice president was not a border czar,” he said Thursday morning. “They are making this up because they have no affirming agenda, vision or track record for the American people.”
The focus on Harris’ handling of the situation at the southern border comes after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) urged his members to move away from attacks focused on diversity, equity and inclusion policies, which some Republicans have used shortly after Biden’s decision. decision.
“This election… will be about policies, not personalities. This is not personal toward Kamala Harris,” Johnson said. “Your ethnicity, your gender, has nothing to do with it.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
