- The Washington Times - Thursday, July 25, 2024

House Republicans pushed through a resolution on Thursday criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris for her record as the administration’s “border czar” in a move to pivot their campaign talking points away from President Biden. Six Democrats facing difficult elections this fall also supported the measure.

The resolution, introduced by House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, condemned Ms. Harris for what it called her “failure” to secure the U.S.-Mexico border in her role delegated by Mr. Biden to handle the border crisis.

Ms. Stefanik, New York Republican, argued that Ms. Harris had failed by “every metric” to secure the border and instead pushed policies that benefited immigrants who are in the country illegally rather than U.S. citizens.

She contended that Ms. Harris was solely responsible for the Biden administration’s handling of the border and tied her to Mr. Biden’s executive actions that reversed many of former President Donald Trump’s border policies.

“No matter what congressional district you go to, the No. 1 issue facing Americans is Kamala Harris’ open border crisis,” Ms. Stefanik said. “The American people deserve elected officials who understand the gravity of the crisis at the border.”

Every House Republican, joined by the half-dozen Democrats, voted in favor of her resolution, which passed on a 220-to-196 vote. The six Democrats who voted in favor of legislation are facing tough reelections in swing districts.

The six Democrats who voted in favor of the measure — Reps. Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, Yadira Caraveo of Colorado, Don Davis of North Carolina, Mary Peltola of Alaska and Henry Cuellar of Texas — are all in tough reelection races. 

Republicans have used Ms. Harris’ role as an early avenue of attack since she ascended to the top of the ticket when Mr. Biden stepped aside as the Democratic presidential nominee.

Shortly after taking office in 2021, Mr. Biden put Ms. Harris in charge of tackling the “root cause” of immigration. She was tasked with coordinating policy with Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, the three Central American states that were key sources of migration to the southern border, to find solutions.

But soon after her appointment, the border became flooded with a massive influx of migrants, a key issue that has become a mainstay in Mr. Trump’s campaign messaging. Indeed, immigration concerns have risen to the forefront in the presidential race, and Ms. Harris’ role in the administration looms as a major political headache for her in the months leading to November.

Democrats argued Thursday that the GOP’s resolution was a waste of time and that the move was meant to gloss over the fact the Republicans had to pull a slew of spending bills from the House floor and start August recess early because they could not shore up enough votes to pass their conservative measures. Indeed, lawmakers were supposed to vote on four spending bills this week but ended up passing only one.

Democrats also countered that the resolution was an attempt at Republicans to craft a campaign talking point from the House floor. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, Mississippi Democrat, suggested that such a move could be an ethics violation.  

“Let’s make no mistake, this resolution is only before this body because Vice President Harris will be the Democratic nominee for president,” Mr. Thompson said.

• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.

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