Speaker Johnson Urges Biden To Use Executive Powers To Secure Border

A spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has confirmed that Johnson spoke with President Biden today and, "strongly encouraged the President to use his executive authority to secure the southern border..."

• According to spokesperson Raj Shah, Johnson also, "reiterated the contents of his letter to the President dated December 21, 2023."
• In his letter, Johnson urged Biden to "end catch-and-release, cease exploitation of parole authority, previous new asylum cooperative agreements, expand the use of expedited removal, and immediately renew construction of the border wall."
• Despite positive statements from Senate negotiators, talks to overhaul US-Mexico border policy has failed to strike a balance between hardline Republican demands and those of human rights and advocacy groups, with current disagreements on limiting executive parole.
• The current negotiations have so far failed to include direct negotiations between the office of the Speaker and the White House, raising concerns that any bipartisan deal from the Senate could be rejected by the House.
• Failure to reach a border deal could also have broader implications for the Biden administration's foreign policy objectives in 2024 as Biden's ~USD$110 billion supplemental funding request for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan is tied to the border talks.
• Even if a border deal is reached, migration at the Southern border is widely seen as a political vulnerability for Biden and will be a made campaign issue for Republicans ahead of the 2024 general election.