Nikki Haley says Congress is 'lying to the American people' as they fail to pass border, aid deals

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on Sunday accused Congress of “lying to the American people” as lawmakers fail to pass long-awaited legislation addressing the U.S.-Mexico border and aid to Israel, Ukraine and other American allies.

A bipartisan group of senators spent months crafting a deal that would have married border priorities and foreign assistance. However, swaths of Republicans recently rejected the agreement, along with separate Senate-passed legislation on foreign aid.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley campaigns on Feb. 12, 2024, in Laurens, S.C. South Carolina holds its Republican primary on Feb. 24.

While the House did pass a hardline border bill last year, dubbed H. R. 2, it has no chance of passing in the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats.

Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

When asked about the efforts on ABC’s “This Week,” Haley said “Congress needs to do their job and make sure that they go and do everything they can for national security.”

“Congress is failing because they are making this sound like you have to choose between Ukraine and Israel or securing the border,” Haley added. “They are lying to the American people. That’s a false premise. We can do both.”

Republican lawmakers have largely called for immigration legislation and foreign assistance to be tied together. It’s not clear whether lawmakers will make any progress on the goal this week, with both House and Senate lawmakers traveling back to their home districts for a recess.

Haley on Sunday also called on President Joe Biden to go further in talking about the importance of foreign aid with Americans across the country.

“Joe Biden needs to be speaking more to the American people about what this package means and why it affects the American people and why it protects them from further war,” she said.

The Republican presidential candidate is gearing up to compete with former President Donald Trump in South Carolina’s pivotal Republican primary on Saturday. Haley during her Sunday interview declined to say whether she would support Trump if he does receive the 2024 GOP nomination.

“I’m going to run and I’m going to win. And y’all can talk about support later. Right now you can ask him if he’s going to support me when I’m the nominee,” Haley said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nikki Haley says Congress is ‘lying to the American people’ as they fail to pass border, aid deals