Speaker Johnson responded to President Joe Biden’s acknowledgment of his authority to tackle the border crisis on Thursday, marking a notable shift from previous statements by the President.

“House Republicans have been sounding the alarm about the catastrophic effects of President Biden’s open border policies since he began his term,” said Johnson in a statement released Thursday. “Last year, I sent a letter to the President to demand he take immediate executive action. He has thus far ignored my demands, and the pleas from big city mayors, border state governors, and the American people.”

Johnson’s letter, dated December 21, 2023, urged Biden to utilize executive authority under Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, a point reiterated by Johnson in his recent statement.

“These reports also underscore just how brazenly and intentionally President Biden misled the public when he claimed he had done everything in his power to secure the border. Specifically, the President’s alleged desire to invoke Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which the White House dismissed using for months, is particularly telling,” said Johnson. 

Previously, the White House had asserted a lack of executive authority to address the border crisis, opting instead to push for congressional action. “The President has done everything that he can… on his own,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated on December 21, 2023. Biden himself stated on January 30, 2014, “I’ve done all I can do” to secure the border.”

However, amidst mounting pressure, including criticism from Johnson and House Republicans, Biden now appears open to utilizing executive authority.

“Now, in an election year, after the president has surrendered the border to cartels and smugglers, after tens of thousands of Americans have tragically lost their lives due to fentanyl poisoning, after countless unaccompanied minors and young people have been subjected to human trafficking, and after millions of illegal aliens have been scattered by the Biden administration throughout our country—the President suddenly seems interested in trying to make a change using the legal authority that he claimed until recently didn’t exist,” Johnson remarked.

While the White House has not officially confirmed whether Biden will indeed implement executive authority on the border crisis, a spokesperson addressed Speaker Johnson and House Republicans.

“No executive action, no matter how aggressive, can deliver the significant policy reforms and additional resources Congress can provide and that Republicans rejected,” said White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández in a statement. “We continue to call on Speaker Johnson and House Republicans to pass the bipartisan deal to secure the border.”

The developments come amidst heightened scrutiny over the administration’s handling of the border crisis and ongoing efforts to find bipartisan solutions.

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