Johnson: Rumored Senate deal 'not enough' to secure border

Trump, for his part, has warned that the Biden administration was using the negotiations to put the blame for the border crisis on Republicans.

By Ben Whedon

Published: January 30, 2024 4:06pm

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday insisted that former President Donald Trump was not interfering in the congressional process of negotiating a border deal and contended that House Republican opposition stemmed largely from the reported component provisions in the package.

Senate negotiators are currently working on a prospective deal to secure border reforms amid an unprecedented surge in illegal crossings. While the final terms of the deal have not become public, House conservatives have balked at some of the reportedly included provisions. Among the alleged components is a 5,000 illegal crossings per day for a week threshold to shut down the border, according to the Washington Times.

Johnson, for his part, expressed hope that the rumored provisions would not make it into the final bill, saying "I hope some of this is not true, but from what we’ve seen, clearly, what’s been suggested, is in this bill, is not enough to secure the border."

"We have a responsibility of duty to the American people to insist that the border catastrophe is ended," he went on. "And just trying to whitewash that or do something for political purposes, that it appears that [package] may be, is not going to cut it and that’s a non-starter in the House."

Trump, for his part, has warned that the Biden administration was using the negotiations to put the blame for the border crisis on Republicans, saying this week that "I had the safest and most secure Border in U.S. History. I didn’t need a 'Bill!' They are using this horrific Senate Bill as a way of being able to put the BORDER DISASTER onto the shoulders of the Republicans."

"The Democrats BROKE THE BORDER, they should fix it. NO LEGISLATION IS NEEDED, IT’S ALREADY THERE!!!" he went on.

Democrats such as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have insisted that Trump and his allies are "trying to thwart this bipartisan effort for the sake of electoral politics," a prospect Johnson called "absurd."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.