Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said working with Democrats to get an agreement on border security is like “negotiating with the arsonist” on how to put out the fire.
“I don’t like government shutdowns, but I will say the main problem we have in negotiations is, in effect, we’re negotiating with the arsonist and trying to negotiate how to put out the fire he started,” Mr. Johnson said on NewsNation Tuesday.
Border security funding has been a point of contention for months between Republicans and Democrats in both chambers. Mr. Johnson said it’s a struggle because President Biden and his administration “want an open border.”
“It’s a big problem. They’re the ones who removed all the successful policies that secured the border under President Trump,” he said.
When asked why the House hasn’t passed any new border policies, Mr. Johnson defended House Republicans, saying that they did pass a bill that would’ve provided a “great deal” of security to the border.
He said it’s a struggle to enforce the law if one gets passed.
“How do you enforce it? Where are the personnel? How do you do the adjudication?” he said.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.