The bipartisan border deal has been made public, and many Republicans are already rejecting it. Representative Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) discussed the bill during a recent appearance on Fox Business's Mornings with Maria, saying the blame for the border crisis lies solely with President Biden and he can undo it himself.
Host Maria Bartiromo asked why the Senate did not use HR2, the Secure the Border Act passed in May, as a blueprint for the recently released border deal.
"I do not know," Rep. Gimenez answered, "I do not know why the Republicans did not stick to it, and they should have. Look, at the end of the day, this is really the President's deal, and the President can resolve this crisis with the stroke of a pen, [he] snapped his fingers, and he can do it because he created it with the stroke of a pen."
Additionally, he said he had "a problem" with "Congress trying to tell the people, or are actually kind of buying into Biden's argument that he needed Congress in order to solve the problem. And if we pass this deal, it will say, 'Yeah, look, we need Congress to help the President solve the problem.' That is false. That is an absolute lie, and so I do not want to be part of a lie," Rep. Gimenez continued.
Moreover, Gimenez reiterated that President Biden is intentionally allowing the border crisis to happen, and he would defy any deal put forth and "find all the loopholes that will allow him to continue to do exactly what he is doing today."
As a result, the Florida Congressman said he would vote "no" on the bill and expressed hope that the border package's Ukraine and Israel funding would be voted on separately.
Gimenez's remarks come at odds with recent comments from Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), who told The Floridian that House Republicans are intentionally refusing the border deal to maintain it as an election issue. Similarly, he pointed out the apparent contradiction in the House passing HR2 if Biden possessed the authority to secure the border all along, even though the White House lost certain border authorities with the cessation of the COVID-19 national emergency.
