Fox News Host Confronts Republican on 'Killing' Border Deal for Trump

03/03/2024

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) shakes hands with former U.S. President Donald Trump during the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors national summit at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown on June 30, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Fox News host Shannon Bream confronted Representative Byron Donalds, a Florida Republican, on Sunday over “killing” the bipartisan border security bill for former President Donald Trump.

In an interview on Fox News Sunday, Bream noted that many people think Trump is “ruining the party,” as she pointed to Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley’s comments regarding Trump as “the one who told you guys to kill a border deal.”

In response, the congressman slammed the criticism and said, “[Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer did nothing with that bill. The Senate never came to the House and said, ‘Let’s work together in a bipartisan fashion based upon what the House has passed and let’s see where we can meet in the middle.'”

The Context:

Illegal immigration is among the top issues ahead of the 2024 presidential election, with polls showing doubts over President Joe Biden’s handling of the situation, on which Republican frontrunner Trump has promised tougher action. There were more than 2.4 million encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border during the 2023 fiscal year, up from roughly 1.7 million in 2021, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.

Text of the much-hyped bipartisan border security bill was released in February, introducing what would be the most substantial border security reform in years, alongside aid packages for Ukraine and Israel for their ongoing wars with Russia and Hamas, respectively.

However, the $118 billion deal that would address key concerns at the southern border, was struck down by the GOP-led House as conservative hardliners argued the bill did not go far enough to end illegal immigration into the United States. At least 60 “yes” votes were required to advance the bill to the House, where House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, had already declared the legislation “dead on arrival.”

What We Know:

Donalds was asked on Sunday about Trump’s role in the deal, however, the congressman refuted the notion the deal was killed due to Trump as he stated that House Republicans signaled early on that they did not support the deal.

“And when the elements of this deal started being leaked out early, the 5,000 entrants per day, the fact that Joe Biden will be able to have waiver authority over all the provisions, House Republicans started signaling very early, led by Speaker Johnson, that we did not support that deal,” Donalds said.

This is not the first time Trump has been linked to the conversations around the border bill as the former president has previously urged Republicans not to accept anything less than a “perfect” border deal before the general election in November, sparking questions about whether some Republicans are working to prevent Biden from scoring a victory by signing the border bill into law.

Views:

Concerns over Trump weighing in on the border bill sparked claims that Johnson attempted to kill the border deal to help Trump, a claim Johnson previously rejected stating, “That’s absurd.”

“First, the most important job for the federal government is to protect its citizens, we are not doing that under President Biden. I have talked to former president Trump about this issue at length and he understands that, he understands we have a responsibility to do here,” the House speaker added.

However, Biden addressed the bill on Thursday stating that the bill was “a win for the American people” and had been supported by “the majority of Democrats and Republicans” in Congress “until someone came along and said, ‘Don’t do that, it will benefit the incumbent.'”

“It’s time for the speakers and some of my Republican friends in Congress who are blocking this bill to show a little spine,” the president said. “Let’s remember who we work for, for God’s sake, we work for the American people.”

In an opinion piece, C. Stewart Verdery Jr., a former George W. Bush official, wrote last month that Republicans will regret turning down the border bill as there hasn’t been another time in which Democrats have agreed to this level of “Republican enforcement policy” at the border than the bipartisan border security bill.

“This one-sided deal that favors Republican enforcement policy is unlikely to ever reappear. There has never been another moment this century when Democrats agreed to enforcement legislation without meaningful legalization provisions. Nor have they ever agreed to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to anywhere near the level needed to locate and deport millions of individuals already in the country illegally,” he added.

Newsweek has reached out to Donalds office and the White House via email for comment.

What’s Next?

Biden’s trip to the southern border on Thursday coincided with a rival visit from Trump.

During his visit, Biden urged congressional Republicans to vote through a bipartisan Senate package unveiled last month aimed at tightening border security and providing additional assistance to U.S. allies such as Ukraine. The package was rejected by GOP hardliners including Johnson who claimed it would “incentivize illegal immigration” and said there was “no way” House Republicans would vote for it.

Update 3/3/24, 12:08 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.

Update 3/3/24, 12:45 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.

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