A group of 40 GOP senators on Wednesday asked the Government Accountability Office to decide whether President Biden’s decision to freeze more than $ 1 billion in congressional approved border wall funding violated federal law.
The letter comes as an influx of migrants arrives at the U.S.-Mexico border, creating a humanitarian crisis.
The coalition led by Senator Shelley Moore Capito, RW.Va., took note on Inauguration Day of Biden’s immediate suspension of the construction of boundary walls.
In the weeks following Biden’s inauguration, ‘operational control of our southern border was jeopardized and a humanitarian and national security crisis arose’, the senators wrote.
“The president’s actions directly contributed to this unfortunate yet completely avoidable scenario,” the letter reads. “It is also a blatant violation of federal law and infringes on Congress’ constitutional power of the purse strings.”
COMMANDMENTS CANNOT CONTINUE WITH BOUNDARIES OF MIGRANT CHILDREN, OFFICIAL WARNINGS
The senators said they believed Biden’s actions “violated the Gun Control Act (ICA), as interpreted by your office”, and asked for the GAO’s legal opinion.
In December 2020, for the fiscal year 2021, Congress approved nearly $ 1.4 billion in border wall funding as part of former President Donald Trump’s $ 900 billion coronavirus stimulus package.
The senators added that fears of the border have increased since Biden took office.
FILE – Crew builds a section of the boundary wall at San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge, Tuesday, December 8, 2020, in Douglas, Ariz. (AP Photo / Matt York)
Signatories include minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., And the following Republican senators:
- John Barrasso of Wyoming,
- Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee
- Roy Blunt of Missouri
- John Boozman of Arkansas
- Mike Braun of Indiana
- Richard Burr of North Carolina
- Susan Collins of Maine
- John Cornyn of Texas
- Tom Cotton of Arkansas
- Kevin Cramer of North Dakota
- Mike Crapo of Idaho
- Steve Daines of Montana
- Joni Ernst of Iowa
- Deb Fischer of Nebraska
- Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
- Bill Hagerty of Tennessee
- John Hoeven of North Dakota
- Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi
- Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma
- John Kennedy of Louisiana
- James Lankford of Oklahoma
- Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming
- Roger Marshall of Kansas
- Jerry Moran of Kansas
- Rand Paul from Kentucky
- Rob Portman of Ohio
- Jim Risch of Idaho
- Mitt Romney of Utah
- Mike Rounds of South Dakota
- Marco Rubio of Florida
- Rick Scott from Florida
- Richard Shelby of Alabama
- John Thune of South Dakota
- Thom Tillis of North Carolina
- Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania
- Tommy Tuberville of Alabama
- Roger Wicker of Mississippi
- Todd Young of Indiana
Charles Young, managing director of public affairs, confirmed to Fox News that the office had received the letter, but added that each new request undergoes a review process that usually takes several weeks.
THE WORD THE COMMANDED ADMINISTRATION WILL NOT USE WHEN IT COMES TO THE BORDER? ‘CRISIS’
Migrant children arrive at the U.S. southern border at faster rates than can be processed and transferred to bail bonds, while the government in Biden has repeatedly denied that there is a ‘crisis’ at the border, a senior official of Customs and Border Protection told Fox News.
The source told Fox News the number of migrant children in federal supervision has risen more than 4,000, while about 94% of the beds for migrant children are occupied. Migrant children go into federal supervision much faster than they leave it, creating an unsustainable backlog, the source said.
People surround a car as they arrive for food donations at a temporary camp for migrants seeking asylum in the United States, at the border crossing on Friday, March 12, 2021 in Tijuana, Mexico. (AP Photo / Gregory Bull)
Customs and border protection announced last week that the agency encountered 100,441 individuals in February, an increase of 28% over January. Of these, 19,246 were individuals in family units, 9,457 were unaccompanied children (UACs) and 71,598 were single adults.
Earlier in March, a senior DHS official confirmed to Fox News that the number of migrating children detained along the border had tripled in the past two weeks to more than 3,250 and that more than 1,360 had been detained longer than the allowed three days.
MCCARTHY SAY’S COMMANDMENT DID NOT RESPOND TO HIS REQUEST FOR BORDER MEETING, AS GOP-BANDS CRISIS TO HIS POLICY
A number of Republicans have estimated plans to visit the U.S.-Mexico border and give a first-hand account of what is happening.
Republicans in the House Committee on Homeland Security visited the border at the weekend before Alejandro Mayorkas, head of the Department of Homeland Security, testified before the committee on Wednesday.
Mayorkas issued a lengthy statement on Tuesday in which he defended the government’s policy and suggested that it would not change course any time soon.
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“The situation on the southwestern border is difficult,” Mayorkas said. “We work 24 hours a day to manage it and we will continue to do so. That is our job. We are making progress and carrying out our plan. It will take time and we will not waver in our commitment to succeed. not. “
Fox News’ Adam Shaw and Evie Fordham contributed to this report.