As another week concludes, the southern border remains unsecured, and the White House continues to evade addressing the issue.
Even journalists from mainstream media are now pressing Deputy White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the matter during press briefings, as witnessed in the recent one. When queried about why President Joe Biden was not utilizing his executive authority to tackle the problem, Jean-Pierre's response was a dismissive, "Why should he?" She then attempted to argue that the border issue required a legislative solution, conveniently overlooking the fact that Biden had opened the border without any legislative assistance.
During Wednesday's White House briefing, Jean-Pierre defended President Biden's approach to the border crisis and provided a startling justification for his inaction. She initiated the briefing by stating that the onus was on the Republicans to either address the problem or continue exploiting it for political gain.
When questioned about why the President, despite having the authority to address the issue unilaterally, was not taking any action, Jean-Pierre responded, "Why should he have to do it unilaterally? Why shouldn't we do it in a legislative way?"
This exchange was captured and shared on Twitter by the House GOP.
Upon assuming office, Biden signed 94 executive orders, effectively reversing all of former President Donald Trump's border policies. Notably, Congress did not vote on any of these decisions. Biden's response to the crisis he instigated and his subsequent attempts at justification have long surpassed the realm of absurdity. It is now simply offensive. Biden, or at least his advisors, and Jean-Pierre are well aware of this.
Like everything else in the current White House administration, they believe they are playing a political game. By falsely insisting on a legislative solution, Biden can claim before the election that while there are issues with some asylum seekers, the MAGA Republicans are refusing to pass legislation to address it.
This response is both irrelevant and dishonest. Even if legislation were necessary, the House GOP has already passed HR2, which would have significantly contributed to securing the border. However, Senate Democrats refused to consider it. The reason this is irrelevant is that the lack of legislation sent to Biden is not why the border is in such a dire state. The current situation is a direct result of Biden's refusal to reverse the 94 executive orders mentioned earlier.
He could rectify the situation in a day. However, he chooses not to, believing that this path will earn him additional votes from the left. This is likely a significant political miscalculation. There is a reason why a wide range of poll respondents rank immigration and the border among their top concerns, and it is not because they are applauding Biden for allowing ten million undocumented immigrants into the country. This includes a significant percentage of Hispanic voters, where Biden is currently losing support.
Yesterday's press conference also highlighted the poor choice of Jean-Pierre as a Press Secretary. While she may tick the correct diversity, equity, and inclusion boxes for a position in the Biden administration, her performance leaves much to be desired. Defending Biden's numerous blunders and falsehoods is no easy task, but a true professional could have handled the question more adeptly and professionally. A simple response such as, "I don't have any new information on the subject of executive orders, but I'll let you know when I do," would have been less satisfying, but it would not have made both the Press Secretary and the White House appear ludicrous.
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