New Democrat Coalition Implores Speaker Johnson to Put Partisan Politics Aside, Negotiate a Bipartisan Border Bill
Today, New Democrat Coalition (NDC) Chair Annie Kuster (NH-02), Vice Chair for Policy Derek Kilmer (WA-06), and Vice Chair Salud Carbajal (CA-24), led nearly 60 New Dem Members on a letter to Republican Speaker Mike Johnson, urging him to once and for all work with Democrats in good faith on a bipartisan border bill that will secure our southern border and reform our immigration system.
“House Republicans frequently parrot far-right talking points about the southern border, yet their leadership refuses to work with Democrats on a bipartisan solution that can actually become law,” said NDC Chair Kuster and Vice Chairs Kilmer and Carbajal. “New Dems have consistently prioritized working across the aisle to find common ground with Republicans when possible on legislation that will secure our border, stem the flow of illicit fentanyl, increase the number of judges to address backlogs in immigration courts, and address the labor shortage. Speaker Johnson must finally join us in working on this critical issue and delivering for the American people. The time is now.”
The letter reads in part:
“It is unfortunate that you and members of your Conference have described the situation as a winning political issue, and suggested that you would wait to act on the border until a Republican president is elected. This is unacceptable. We respectfully urge you to put the American people and our nation’s security ahead of petty partisan politics. It is long past time to negotiate in good faith on a bipartisan solution to humanely secure our southern border and reform our immigration system.”
Throughout the 118th Congress, the NDC Immigration and Border Security Task Force has been leading bipartisan efforts to address the very real challenges at our southern border. Our Task Force has called for the swift consideration of President Biden’s border security request, and has pushed the Administration and House leadership to advance additional funding to streamline immigration processes, secure the border, and tackle the fentanyl crisis.
You can read the full letter here and below:
Dear Speaker Johnson,
The New Democrat Coalition has continually recognized the urgency of the situation at the border. In May, we called for comprehensive immigration reform and increased funding to secure the southern border. In July, we urged the Biden Administration to request supplemental resources to bolster border operations. In November, we implored you to bring the Administration’s national security supplemental to the floor for a vote. And we have repeatedly called for bipartisan solutions to meaningfully address the challenges presented by increased migration, the flow of illicit fentanyl through our ports of entry, and the backlog of visa applications and asylum cases in our immigration courts.
That is why we were dismayed by your comments this week that you refuse to even consider a bipartisan solution to securing our border or bring to the floor the national security supplemental. It is unfortunate that you and members of your Conference have described the situation as a winning political issue, and suggested that you would wait to act on the border until a Republican president is elected. This is unacceptable. We respectfully urge you to put the American people and our nation’s security ahead of petty partisan politics.
It is long past time to negotiate in good faith on a bipartisan solution to humanely secure our southern border and reform our immigration system. We appreciate your consideration of this request and remain ready to work together to address this critical issue.
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