The Biden administration is waiving 26 federal laws to allow the construction of the border wall in Texas, with NBC News reporting that it was “a striking acknowledgment of the need to address the migrant influx at the southern border.”
The problem for Team Biden is that the president swore that there “will not be another foot of wall constructed in my administration.”
With 7 million illegal immigrants having entered the U.S. since Biden took office, the timing of the announcement likely has plenty to do with the 2024 presidential election being a year away and the White House’s plan to dance around Biden’s reversal is to claim that they are only doing what the law dictates — which ignores the fact that they expedited the process with the waivers.
White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates responded to an MSNBC report on the reversal to say that it “is absolutely false,” and that Congress “is forcing us to do this under a 2019 law.”
“Reversal” is absolutely false.
Fact: Congress is forcing us to do this under a 2019 law.
Fact: We called on Congress to cancel these funds. They didn’t.
We follow the rule of law.
Congress needs to stop delaying the effective border solutions @POTUS proposed. https://t.co/drg03djpGe
— Andrew Bates (@AndrewJBates46) October 5, 2023
It all proved to be too complicated for White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who has the unenviable role of explaining the sleight of hand.
Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked, “What specific law will the administration be breaking if funds appropriated for the border wall are not used, especially because the funds are — go unused all the time? I mean, why not let it go unused this time?”
“Well, look, I’m not going to speak to the law. I would have to refer you to Department of Justice. I’m not a lawyer,” KJP replied.
Wanting to have her cake and eat it too she added, “But what I can tell you is… this is a law that we are complying with. We have asked Congress multiple times to reappropriate this — this is not the way that we believe is going to be effective here. We believe in modernizing the system, not actually building a wall. The president said himself he does not think this is effective. And so we’re complying by law.”
Doocy has proven to be Jean-Pierre’s chief antagonist since she became Biden’s official spokesperson and he hit her with this gem Thursday that sent her running for the exits: “If you have to build a border wall but you don’t think that it’s going to work, then once it’s done, are you just going to tear it down?”
Doocy: “If you have to build a border wall, but you don’t think it’s going to work, then, once it’s done, are you just going to tear it down?”
KJP: “I’m not getting into hypotheticals from here. I’m just telling you what I can tell you from here.” pic.twitter.com/t7dmE1Jg1F
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 5, 2023
Here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story, as seen on X:
“Suddenly we have to follow laws which is why we must build the wall now but also why we’re ignoring congress and laws on things like student loan debt.” https://t.co/1vGgg0FuHQ
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) October 5, 2023
Congress is forcing the waiving of federal laws? Need that statutory text please…
— Curtis Morrison (@curtismorrison) October 6, 2023
How about being honest with the American people— You are not required to waive laws. #NoBorderWall
— Jim Mathews (@mathewsjh) October 5, 2023
True…. I think she wanted to be on the show “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader” but they asked her to come back for the Kindergarten version……
— MittRomney is a Hologram (@GlennWhite1) October 5, 2023
…and then she ran out of the room
Run, run, run KJP it doesn’t matter because you can’t outrun your lies— Willow (@Willowinski) October 5, 2023
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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