House Republicans are moving quickly to emphasize Vice President Kamala Harris’s role in the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S. border with Mexico, passing a resolution Thursday that condemns her performance in the job. The resolution, which is purely symbolic, echoes an attack line that Republican Donald Trump has taken against Harris since she rose to become the likely Democratic presidential nominee. All House Republicans and six Democrats in tough reelection races voted for the resolution.
Quick Read
- House Republicans Rebuke Kamala Harris:
- House Republicans passed a symbolic resolution condemning Vice President Kamala Harris’s handling of border policy.
- The resolution echoes an attack line used by Donald Trump against Harris.
- Democratic Support:
- Six Democrats in tough reelection races voted for the resolution: Reps. Yadira Caraveo, Henry Cuellar, Don Davis, Jared Golden, Mary Peltola, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.
- These Democrats have previously been critical of Biden’s border policies.
- Border Policy Context:
- Biden tasked Harris with addressing root causes of migration early in his administration.
- Historic levels of border crossings became a political liability for Biden.
- Since June, arrests for illegal crossings have fallen due to new asylum restrictions.
- Republican Criticism:
- Republicans claim Harris did not do enough to control illegal immigration.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized Harris’s inaction, citing record-high illegal crossings.
- Democratic Defense:
- Most House Democrats defended Harris, stating she was never appointed “border czar.”
- Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries called the resolution “fake and fraudulent.”
- Rep. Pramila Jayapal highlighted Harris’s success in securing investments for Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
- Political Implications:
- The resolution reflects early signs of cracks in Democratic confidence in Harris.
- The border issue remains a significant political challenge for Harris.
- Comments from Democratic Representatives:
- Rep. Jared Golden expressed continued criticism of the administration’s border handling.
- Rep. Tom Suozzi noted Harris’s potential strengths, such as her relationship with Mexico’s president-elect and her prosecutorial background.
The Associated Press has the story:
House Republicans vote to rebuke Kamala Harris over administration’s handling of border policy
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
House Republicans are moving quickly to emphasize Vice President Kamala Harris’s role in the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S. border with Mexico, passing a resolution Thursday that condemns her performance in the job. The resolution, which is purely symbolic, echoes an attack line that Republican Donald Trump has taken against Harris since she rose to become the likely Democratic presidential nominee. All House Republicans and six Democrats in tough reelection races voted for the resolution.
President Joe Biden tasked Harris early in his administration with addressing the root causes of migration. Border crossings eventually became a major political liability for Biden when they reached historic levels. Since June, when Biden announced significant restrictions on asylum applications at the border, arrests for illegal crossings have fallen.
It remains to be seen whether the border will become a political liability for Harris as it was for Biden. But Republicans say Harris did not do enough to clamp down on illegal immigration in a role they characterized as “border czar.” “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.
Trump, if elected president, has pledged deport millions of people and has made anti-immigration rhetoric a central focus of his campaign. The House vote showed some early signs of cracks in the confidence that Democrats have so far bestowed on Harris.
The six Democrats who voted for the resolution — Reps. Yadira Caraveo of Colorado, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Don Davis of North Carolina, Jared Golden of Maine, Mary Peltola of Alaska and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington state — were mostly members from battleground districts and had previously been critical of Biden. The measure called for “elected officials who understand the gravity of the crisis at the border and who will execute the policies to fix the border crisis.”
Golden said in a statement that he would “continue to be critical of this administration” when it comes to the border. As vice president, Harris was tasked with overseeing diplomatic efforts to deal with issues spurring migration in the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, as well as pressing them to strengthen enforcement on their own borders. The Biden administration wanted to develop and put in place a long-term strategy that gets at the root causes of migration from those countries.
Most House Democrats tried to defend how Harris has handled the job. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said the resolution was “fake and fraudulent” and that Harris was never appointed “border czar,” as the measure stated.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, who is the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said Harris “was narrowly tasked with developing agreements that could help bring government and private sector investments to those countries that are sending migrants to the United States.” Jayapal said Harris successfully recruited “billions” of dollars in investments for Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
Democrats also repeatedly pointed out that Republicans rejected a border and immigration deal that the White House negotiated with Senate GOP leadership earlier this year. Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York, who won a special election this year on a campaign that focused on border security, said Harris has some potential strengths on the issue. He said Harris’ relationship with Mexico’s president-elect, Claudia Sheinbaum, and Harris’ past as a prosecutor could prove to be assets when it comes to the border. “I think now she has to emphasize the fact that she recognizes that the southern border is a problem,” Suozzi said.
