On Wednesday’s broadcast of “CNN News Central,” Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) reacted to House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) urging President Joe Biden to take executive action on the border by stating that “it is ridiculous for Speaker Johnson to say just that, when we know that we’ve seen presidents, President Trump and President Biden, when they take an executive order, that, generally, it ends up in the courts.”
Co-host Kate Bolduan asked, “Speaker Johnson came out yesterday and said that border security is priority number one. We hear — you have talked about that it is — this is an issue that is a priority for you all as well. He makes the case, once again, just yesterday, that he thinks and he wants President Biden to take executive action. Do you think that is the case, that is the solution while you all cannot seem to agree on where to move?”
Meeks answered, “I think that it is ridiculous for Speaker Johnson to say just that, when we know that we’ve seen presidents, President Trump and President Biden, when they take an executive order, that, generally, it ends up in the courts. And we should not be avoiding the responsibility that we have as members of Congress. And we’ve seen, in a bipartisan manner, in the Senate, where there was a bill that was put forward by Sen. Sinema (I-AZ) and Sen. Lankford (R-OK) and Sen. Murphy (D-CT), and when I talked to the Border Patrol, when I was in Arizona, they all said that it very much would help.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett