This article was originally posted on Edwin’s Substack newsletter on Jan. 3.
The chyron on FOX ‘news’ says “Biden’s Border Crisis,” and the anchor sarcastically tells us, “Even Democrats are calling for more government action.” Senator Ron Johnson, the bag man for the fake electors, comes on to say that the solution does not require funding; it just requires stopping the flow of immigration to the U.S. He says the administration is entirely at fault. The anchor warns us that the Chinese nationals and fentanyl are passing freely into the U.S. and that our country is in danger.
This week, angry GOP legislators will storm the border to demand action from the administration. Action that no administration can lawfully take because the laws Congress passed do not allow it. Yet Senator Ron Johnson and Speaker Mike Johnson — related only by their fealty to Mr. Trump — are demanding President Joe Biden act beyond lawful authority and seal our borders.
It is all a hoax.
Recall that the GOP blocked additional funding for border patrols and immigration judges. As they did during Obama’s term, the moment Joe Biden issues any executive order, the GOP rushes to court to claim abuse of executive power. There’s purpose to the pattern: They want to create an everyone-is-equally-guilty-of-acting-like-a-king moment so that we all look the other way when Donald Trump promises to be a dictator on day one.
The border crisis is real, and human migration, already at record levels globally, is likely to increase as climate change and conflict force more people from their homes. Only Congress has the power to make things better by updating our immigration laws. They have the power, but not the will.
Speaker Johnson’s recent press statements, like the FOX News Chyron, complain about “Biden’s border crisis,” once again raising the question whether FOX is the propaganda arm of the GOP or whether the GOP is the lobbying arm FOX. Hard to know.
The Speaker is organizing his border junket even though he is nowhere close to passing the funding bills required to keep the government open. On Jan. 19, funding runs out for Transportation, Housing, Treasury, and the SBA. These Departments will shut down. On Feb. 2, the rest of the government runs out of money and will close. When the House put off its work on spending bills at the end of last year, temporarily funding the government with a two-part continuing resolution, Speaker Johnson promised to work through the appropriations process “in good faith.” The border trip is his idea of good faith negotiating on the funding bills.
Let’s understand these GOP moves in the context of the power dynamics in Washington. Democrats hold the White House and a majority in the U.S. Senate. The expulsion of George Santos and the resignations of Kevin McCarthy and Bill Johnson leaves the GOP with 219 members — barely a majority. And the House GOP is sharply divided. So far, this GOP-controlled House has passed the least amount of legislation in decades. They do nothing. Yet they feel entitled to make all sorts of demands that the majority of Americans do not want — from abortion bans to voting restrictions. And they feel no obligation to do their job: pass funding bills and reform our immigration laws.
This year, anyone who loves democracy must take the time to talk with our fellow Americans who are buried under the avalanche of right-wing propaganda and remind them of all the good we can do together.
Edwin Eisendrath hosts “The Big Picture” on WCPT 820 AM every Saturday at 1 p.m. CST. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @eisendrath.