Florida Governor Ron DeSantis criticized congressional Republicans for supporting a series of foreign aid bills without ensuring the passing of a border security one, saying they lost all their leverage with Democrats and President Joe Biden by doing so.
"Republicans were sent there and the number one issue that our voters wanted them to address is the southern border and the massive influx of foreigners by the millions coming into this country," DeSantis told reporters.
"And they basically just surrendered on the border. They now have no leverage to do anything on the border."
Both the House and the Senate have passed separate initiatives granting a total of $95 billion in aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. They also approved a different bill forcing Chinese company ByteDance to sell social media app TikTok or face a ban in the country.
Republicans also introduced a border security bill but it was turned down despite getting more than half of the votes in the chamber (215-199), as it had been fast-tracked to the floor and needed a two-thirds majority to pass.
The bill faced long odds in the first place, as its tough measures had already been turned down by Democrats in May last year, arguing they went too far. The bill would have resumed the construction of the border wall, strip funding from nonprofits aiding migrants and restrict the use of parole programs allowing migrants from some countries to work in the U.S.
"They had an opportunity to insist that Biden accept the border if he wanted all the foreign aid, and they decided to capitulate. And so, he got everything he wants," DeSantis said. "And Republican voters did not get anything with respect to stopping this problem at the southern border."
A different border security bill did get bipartisan support, but it ended up failing after former President Donald Trump openly criticized it for not going far enough. The move led Republicans to quickly abandon the bill, with Democrats blasting their counterparts for, they said, using the issue for electoral purposes rather than seeking to actually address it.
The move to introduce the most recent bill was seen by some on the right flank of the GOP as an attempt by House Speaker Mike Johnson to address growing criticism within the party for his willingness to move forward with the foreign aid bills.
However, the contrary effect is taking place, as three Republicans, including Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, are looking to remove Johnson through a motion to vacate.
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