On Sunday, CNN host Dana Bash went silent after South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem questioned what President Joe Biden has been doing on the border as the crisis continues.
Noem appeared on “State of the Union” to discuss the ongoing battle between Texas officials and the Biden administration over state borders, as well as a potential deal pending in Congress. Amid growing concerns from Republican lawmakers that the new deal could have legal loopholes, Bash asked the governor why he was worried about Republicans agreeing to the deal. and pointed out how important this issue is.
Noem said Republicans would be willing to discuss “immigration policy” if Biden was “acting in good faith,” but the president lacked the ability to take action without a deal. He emphasized that there is. (Related: Biden shifts blame for border crisis in new statement)
“As you said earlier, this issue has been stalled for decades due to politics. And perhaps he [Biden] It has several capabilities other than the asylum and detention processes. I mean, it's a mess. So why not at least fix it? Why not accept the answer as yes? ” Bash asked.
“I think the president has the ability to fix broken immigration policy if he can show he's acting in good faith. If he announces that he's going to change policy, reallocate resources, and start protecting the United States, “Republicans are going to come to the White House and ask us to be a partner in fixing immigration policy,” Noem said.
“Rather, what we have is that while people are invading our country, partisan bickering continues and there is no resolution. We have people in our neighborhood coming into the country, many on terrorist watch lists. Dangerous criminals coming into the United States don't love us; they don't love us. No. We're allowing them into our country. It's a dangerous situation, and the president is the one who can stand up and show leadership at this time. Change the policy. Build the wall. Close the border. Let's secure it and then fix our immigration policy. But we don't have to compromise one to achieve the other.”
Bash then interrupted the South Dakota governor to emphasize that what Biden was “negotiating” was what Republicans had originally “wanted,” explaining why Republicans were just “getting a win.” I asked him again whether he should not do so. Noem quickly pushed back on questions about what Biden had done policy-wise, highlighting his alleged conservation work with Biden administration officials near the border. (Related: 'That's stupid': Alan Dershowitz slams Biden over border crisis handling)
“Governor, President Biden is negotiating. He didn't want to do that. He's negotiating because this is what the Republicans want. So why not just snatch the victory?” Bash asked.
“What did he do?” Noem asked as Bash remained silent.
“What has he done? He hasn't done anything in terms of actual policy, he's actually used the tools he has. Two days ago, I sat down with the people who work for him and said, ' “This president ties our hands every day.” He won't let us work. We work for him, we work for the federal government, and he hates it. We hate our jobs and we hate what's happening in this country. Because he won't keep us safe. ”
Senators have continued to try to draft a new agreement to address concerns about the border crisis, but issues escalated this week between Texas officials and the Biden administration. As the battle between state officials and the federal government continues, Mr. Biden told lawmakers he wants to press for a deal to address concerns.
As reports spread this week about what the deal could include, some Republicans have been vocal about possible loopholes in the law for illegal immigration. Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump further expressed concern, stressing that Republicans should not accept a deal unless it includes everything needed to “stop invasion.”
