Smith, Comer: President Biden Cannot Buy Himself Out of the Border Crisis

WASHINGTON—House Committee on the Budget Ranking Member Jason Smith (R-Mo.) and House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) today wrote Office of Management and Budget Acting Director Shalanda Young questioning the Biden Administration’s misguided plans to funnel billions of dollars to residents of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador in an attempt to slow illegal immigration while doing nothing to implement tried and true deterrence policies that successfully discourage illegal aliens from coming to the border.

“The Biden Administration created a crisis at the southern border; denied a crisis exists; and now is floating the idea of sending money from hardworking American taxpayers to pay citizens of other countries to not violate America’s laws. Hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars are already being spent as a result of the Biden Border Crisis even while the President’s budget request holds funding flat for the Department of Homeland Security. Rather than searching around for more misguided policies to pile on to their existing failures, President Biden and his team ought to look at what was working before they came into office,” said Ranking Member Smith.

“President Biden cannot buy himself out of the border crisis. The Biden Border Crisis is gross mismanagement and is a culmination of the Biden Administration’s calculated decision to revoke successful deterrence-focused policies and open the borders. Instead of forcing American taxpayers to foot the ever-growing bill for this border crisis, President Biden should reinstate President Trump’s cooperative asylum agreements with Northern Triangle countries, utilize the Migrant Protection Protocols, end catch and release, and maximize his authority to expel illegal immigrants during the pandemic. Paying people to not commit a crime sends the wrong message, harms hardworking American taxpayers, and does nothing to end the border crisis,” said Ranking Member Comer.

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