Analysis

‘Cutthroat Politics’: Republicans Refuse to Bail Out Biden on Border, Ukraine

Election year politics stymies legislation on immigration and foreign aid, creating the potential for chaos at the border and “collapse” in Ukraine.
Sputnik
The border policy standoff between US President Joe Biden and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has intensified in recent days, with the Republican governor pledging to install more razor wire in defiance of a Supreme Court order.

“The federal government has broken the compact between the United States and the states,” read a statement from the conservative politician. “The executive branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce those laws and has even violated them. The result is that he has smashed records for illegal immigration.”

Immigrant rights activists have slammed the measure, claiming Texas officials’ actions have contributed to the deaths of migrants.
Eager to secure more military aid for Ukraine, Biden has advocated compromise legislation combining the two issues, but has been rebuffed by House Republicans. As Congressional dysfunction seems poised to stall progress on yet another legislative priority, Jamarl Thomas and Garland Nixon, the hosts of Sputnik’s The Critical Hour program, discussed the fallout on Monday.

“This country's coming unglued,” said Nixon of the contentious political battle. “The country is politically unstable. People are like, 'Hey, should we send the federal government against the states?' And there's now a bunch of truckers that are like, 'we're armed and we're going to the border to stand up against the Biden administration.' And I'm like, man, the wheels are falling off the cart here.”

“It is rather shocking when you think about it,” agreed Thomas. “And, look, to be honest, Joe Biden can call for the military, for the federal troops in Texas to be federalized. So, the federal law is right.”
Historic political polarization combined with the prospect of an encounter between armed state and federal agents has led many to suggest a civil war could be in the making. The conflict between state and federal power is among the most historically contentious aspects of the United States’ system of governance. Thomas noted the potential for a violent incident is “an unsettling place to be.”
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Meanwhile, legislative efforts to address border policy have fallen victim to election year politics.

“When you look at the Senate, the Senate seems like they're ready to deal,” observed Thomas. “[Republican House Speaker] Mike Johnson is like 'kick rocks.' But it's like, how long can Mike Johnson kick rocks? The Republican Party has screamed about the border, Fox News screams about it everyday, then Biden said, 'Okay, I'm ready for a deal, you got me, I'm taking the knee.' How do they tell him no?”

Thomas speculated Republicans’ would continue to stall legislation on both aid for Kiev and immigration, forcing Biden to seek reelection amidst accusations of chaos at the border and Ukraine in danger of “collapse.”

‘[With] every dollar they don't give to Ukraine it enhances Republican chances of them pointing the finger and saying, 'Look at what Joe Biden did, this is Joe Biden's war. Look at all the money he gave to it and it just fell apart,'” said Thomas. “If you were a Trump, or you're the Republicans, you want that border to be a festering wound for the next five months so you can point to that wound [and say], 'We tried to get Joe Biden to do something. He just doesn't want to do anything on the border.'”

“It's not nice and it ain't right,” agreed Nixon. “It's cut-throat politics.”
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