Fox News host Shannon Bream repeatedly corrected Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis on Sunday when he claimed former President Donald Trump “sabotaged” the latest attempt to improve security at the U.S. southern border.
After a bipartisan border security bill failed in the Senate in early February, Democrats were quick to blame President Trump, even as Republicans had already expressed caution about the bill. During a discussion about illegal immigration causing high home prices in Governor Polis' state, Governor Bream took issue with the governor's comments blaming President Trump for illegal immigration.
“We would certainly be in a better place today if President Trump hadn't undermined a bipartisan border security plan that would have ultimately closed the border,” Polis said.
“Okay, but we're three and a half years into this administration, and we've rescinded executive orders and done a lot of things that have led to historically high numbers,” Bream countered.
Polis later said he “cannot let politics get in the way” from both Democrats and Republicans, and reiterated that President Trump was to blame for the bill's failure. (Related: Kamala-backed border bill would allow illegal immigrants deported by President Trump to enter the country)
“Democrats have supported border security for decades. I supported it in Congress and I introduced legislation to do that,” Polis said. “We can't let politics get in the way of solving this problem, so again, there can be blame on both sides. The most recent attempt at a border solution was obviously undermined by former President Trump, and that's why the border is in chaos today. That's the problem. Absolutely. Look.”
“Well, we have several senators who have appeared on the show who have said they are not going to vote for this bill, whether President Trump likes it or not. They have real concerns about this bill in both the House and the Senate,” Bream interjected.
clock:
Polis responded that the key question was to ask Republicans what changes they wanted to make, to which Bream noted that Republicans would have then responded that they “were not allowed to make any amendments.”
“That's their issue. That's what they're here for. We're looking to the left and the right,” Polis continued, “but again, the bottom line is that without President Trump blocking that effort, blocking that effort, and not doing border security, the border would be closed today.”
“Wait, wait, all right, but it's fair to say that this bill doesn't close the entire border. And I'll be honest with you, this bipartisan plan wouldn't have been able to completely stem the tide of what's going on at the border,” Bream interjected.
Polis argued the bill would reduce illegal immigration at the border “by at least two-thirds,” adding, “If there's a way to get it 100 percent, I'm confident President Harris can get it done if she has the opportunity.”
Republican senators blocked the bipartisan border agreement on Feb. 7 by a 49-50 vote. But before the vote, Republicans expressed concerns about the bill's ties to Ukraine because the deal would send billions of dollars of taxpayer money overseas.
“Billions of dollars will go to Ukraine for humanitarian aid, military assistance, research and development, and everything else,” Rep. Anna Luna, a Republican from Florida, wrote in a rebuttal at the time. “This bill reads as if it was drafted in Kiev.”
As an independent, nonpartisan news service, all content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation is available free of charge to any legitimate news publisher with a large readership. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and affiliation with the DCNF. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
