Dems Block GOP Bill to Force Harris to Visit the Southern Border

Libby | June 15, 2021
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The Republican effort to limit Vice President Kamala Harris’ taxpayer-funded international travel until she visits the Southern border was blocked by House Democrats on Monday.

Sponsored by Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), the legislation was meant to force Harris into addressing more than just the “root causes” of illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border  — a goal many Republicans say is a distraction by the administration to keep from actually dealing with the problem.

The bill, also referred to as the See the Crisis Act, was blocked with a 217-203 vote, reported The Federalist.

Now approaching 80 days since being tapped to lead the border crisis by President Joe Biden, Harris has still not physically travelled to the border herself, a refusal that's drawn criticism from Republicans and even some Democrats.

"This crisis is worsening by the day,” Rep. Hinson explained on the House floor, reported Fox News. “Yet, the vice president has refused to go to the border."

"This out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach is a disgrace," she added. 

statement released by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection last week reveals over 180,000 individuals were caught attempting to illegally cross the southern border into the United States last month alone, bringing the current fiscal year total to nearly 1 million with four months left to go.

May’s numbers even outpaced the 20-year high set in April, prompting a sense of urgency for states and politicians to address the crisis.

This move to pressure Harris into visiting the border comes after she laughed in response to NBC’s Lester Holt pressing her on still not having physically been to the area.

“And I haven’t been to Europe,” Harris floundered, trying to downplay calls to go and see for herself just how dire the crisis has become.

This comical non-response was noted by Hinson as well.

“When asked why she hasn’t visited the border, she laughed," Hinson pointed out on the House floor. "She laughed, and this is no laughing matter.”

In another tense moment with the press on the border crisis, according to Fox News, Harris told a Univision anchor that regarding a specific date for her visit, she would keep them “posted.”

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