The House passed a resolution on July 25 condemning President Joe Biden’s administration and Vice President Kamala Harris over what it describes as their failure to address the immigration crisis at the southern border.
The non-binding resolution was voted on days after Ms. Harris’s sudden ascension as the Democratic Party’s likely nominee in the 2024 race. Republicans have campaigned on the border as a key issue before the election.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), passed 219–196.
Six Democrats joined all Republicans to back it: Reps. Don Davis (D-N.C.), Jared Golden (D-Maine), Yadira Caraveo (D-Colo.) Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), and Mary Peltola (D-Alaska).
The resolution focuses on Ms. Harris, referring to her role as “border czar.” President Biden announced in March 2021 that he was tasking the vice president to help address the “root causes” of migration.
“The result of her inaction has been record-high illegal crossings, overwhelmed communities, and an evisceration of the rule of law,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on the floor.
Since President Biden took office, the Department of Homeland Security has reported more than 8.3 million encounters with illegal immigrants at the southern border. In June, the president enacted restrictions on asylum claims at the southern border, leading to a drop in illegal border crossings.
Ms. Stefanik celebrated the resolution, saying in a statement that Ms. Harris and elected Democrats “own this historic border crisis that has turned every community into a border community.”
Before the vote, Rep. Dan Goldman (D-Calif.) told reporters: “This is such a naked partisan effort to help Donald Trump in the campaign in November… all their attention and floor time is focused on sullying [Ms. Harris] up with false accusations.”
As vice president, Ms.Harris was tasked with overseeing diplomatic efforts to address issues spurring migration in the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras and pressing them to strengthen enforcement on their own borders. The Biden administration wanted to develop and implement a long-term strategy that addresses the root causes of migration from those countries.
The White House did not return a request for comment from The Epoch Times, but in a statement to media outlets ahead of the vote, White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said:
“As we speak, congressional Republicans continue their months-long blockade of critical resources for ICE and the Border Patrol in the tough bipartisan border security agreement supported by the Biden–Harris administration,” he said, referring to a Senate border deal that was blocked by Republicans earlier this year.
NTD’s Luis Martinez and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
