President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet Thursday with U.S. Border Patrol officials and local leaders in Brownsville, Texas, as part of his second trip to the southern border amid what the top House Republican calls the \u201ccatastrophe\u201d that has occurred there on Biden\u2019s watch. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Biden\u2019s trip comes as House Republicans push the president to take executive action to secure the border\u2014by reversing his previous executive orders rolling back border security measures. Biden has taken 89 executive actions<\/a> to reverse Trump administration border policies since taking office in January 2021, according to the Migration Policy Institute.<\/p>\n

Former President Donald Trump last week announced that he would travel the same day to Eagle Pass, Texas, to focus attention on border security. The White House announced Biden\u2019s visit after that.<\/p>\n

Biden\u2019s much-criticized previous trip to the southern border<\/a> was brief and occurred two years into his presidency.<\/p>\n

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., spoke to reporters Tuesday at the White House, where he and other House and Senate leaders met with Biden about a spending bill to keep the government operating.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been, I believe, in maybe 20-something states over the last several weeks, going around the country, appearing at events with my colleagues,\u201d Johnson told reporters, \u201cand we\u2019re hearing from the American people of all parties, in all persuasions, in all cities and in all states, who feel this acutely.\u201d <\/p>\n

Johnson spoke to reporters outside the White House shortly after he, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.; Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., met with Biden.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey understand the catastrophe at the border is affecting everyone and it is top of mind for all the American people for that reason,\u201d Johnson said, referring to ordinary citizens. \u201cI brought that issue up repeatedly today in that room. And, again, one on one with the president. I think that\u2019s our responsibility to bring that up. The other big priority for our country, of course, is the funding of our government.\u201d<\/p>\n

The House speaker added of the border situation: \u201cI believe the president can take executive authority right now, today, to change that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The congressional leaders also spoke about funding for Ukraine during the meeting with Biden, as well as the supplemental spending bill to prevent a partial government shutdown.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Asked about Biden\u2019s taking any executive actions on border security, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that it\u2019s not in the plans at this point.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve spoken to executive actions. I\u2019ve spoken to that many times,\u201d Jean-Pierre said. \u201cWe think the bottom line is, the way to have dealt with this border challenge that we see at the border, that we\u2019ve seen with this broken immigration system, is if Republicans move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biden\u2019s press secretary said she didn\u2019t have specific information on what Biden would talk about Thursday in Texas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s going to travel to Brownsville, Texas. He\u2019s going to meet with Border Patrol agents, law enforcement, and local leaders, and he is going to discuss the urgent need to pass the bipartisan proposal <\/a>that came out of the Senate,\u201d Jean-Pierre said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Biden administration has clashed with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, on his state\u2019s increasingly aggressive border security measures to prevent the entrance of illegal aliens. <\/p>\n

The Senate\u2019s 370-page, $118 billion bill<\/a> includes provisions for border security and aid to both Ukraine and Israel. It failed to clear a procedural hurdle earlier this month, and lacks support in the House.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many Republicans criticized the bill\u2019s border-related measures<\/a> as not being strong enough.<\/p>\n

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said the bill would put the policy of catch and release<\/a> \u201cinto law,\u201d and said the language \u201cnormalized 5,000 illegal aliens [crossing the border] a day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The bill would direct the Department of Homeland Security<\/a> to close the southern border \u201cduring a period of seven consecutive calendar days, [if] there is an average of 5,000 or more aliens who are encountered each day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe if this proposal, if this legislation, were to become law, it would be the toughest, but also the fairest. It was supported by the Border Patrol union, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,\u201d Jean-Pierre said. <\/p>\n

The president\u2019s spokesperson added:<\/p>\n

\n
He\u2019s going to reiterate to congressional Republicans to stop playing politics, to focus on the American people and get this done if they are serious about giving U.S. Border Patrol agents what they need and if they are serious about fixing our immigration system and push politics to the side.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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