Staff Reports
The Washington Examiner recently reported on Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) urging President Joe Biden to take executive action on the migrant crisis if a bipartisan border security deal cannot be finalized soon. Manchin, who never shies away from stirring the political pot, made his thoughts known while appearing on CBS’s Face the Nation.
In classic Manchin style, the West Virginia senator held nothing back as he emphasized the urgency of the situation at the border. His sentiment can be summed up as, “If Congress can’t get its act together, the president better do something about it, and quick!”
.@Sen_JoeManchin says the border is “the greatest crisis we face in America” and urges President Biden to set a deadline of this week for Congress to get a deal on border security done. If not, he thinks @POTUS should declare a national crisis. pic.twitter.com/mjsSPXaw1Y
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 14, 2024
Manchin didn’t mince words and pointed to the alarming increase in illegal crossings at the border. It’s “extremely bad right now,” he emphasized. The senator also stressed that he’s not here for any more paroles at the border until the chaos is under control.
He also took a jab at Congress, calling out the gridlock and the tendency for both Democrats and Republicans to nitpick and bicker over every little detail. This, according to Manchin, is hindering meaningful progress.
Additionally, the article pointed out that a bipartisan working group of senators has been toiling away on a border security deal, which is a critical element of a larger defense spending bill. Both sides of the negotiation aisle have acknowledged the significance of the border measure in getting the legislation through both chambers.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), a major player in the political theater, has thrown his support behind the larger supplemental package as long as it includes “credible” border policy changes. Meanwhile, other senators like James Lankford (R-OK), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) have been deeply involved in the negotiations, focusing on reforms to federal asylum policy and the use of humanitarian parole authority by the Biden administration.
The article also mentioned unconfirmed reports of the White House proposing a new border expulsion law and increased mandatory detention rates as part of the negotiations. However, the public confirmation on this remains up in the air.
Then there’s the spicy discourse between House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate GOP negotiators. Johnson has vocally pushed for the Senate to adopt the House Republicans’ signature border bill, while the Senate GOP negotiators have raised their eyebrows at the idea, indicating some spicy contention in their discussions.
Manchin’s message boils down to this: “Put a deadline on it. If Congress can’t get it together this week, the president may have to swoop in and declare a national crisis at the border.” He made it crystal clear that leaving the border situation unresolved is not an option, and he’s not holding his breath for everyone to suddenly sing “kumbaya” and come to an agreement. Manchin is all about getting things done, and he’s not afraid to shake things up to make it happen.
