House Speaker Mike Johnson knocks Biden for ‘catastrophe’ at border during Texas visit

House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized President Joe Biden on Wednesday for the “mayhem” he witnessed at the US-Mexico border, saying in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper that the Biden administration isn’t doing its job.

“This catastrophe can come to an end if the Biden administration will do its job, and they refuse to do it,” he said.

Johnson traveled with more than 60 House Republicans on Wednesday to Eagle Pass, Texas, at the same time that Republican and Democratic Senate negotiators are trying to hammer out a bipartisan border agreement as part of a broader funding package for Ukraine, Israel aid and border security – and questions are swirling about how House Republicans would react should a deal be reached.

In the interview Wednesday, Johnson threw cold water on the Senate negotiations, arguing the House Republican border bill passed last year was what was needed. But he also didn’t rule out putting a Senate bill to a vote, saying that it was too soon for him to say because there is no draft bill yet.

Johnson argued that the problem wasn’t going to be solved simply with more money – the Biden administration requested in its supplemental $14 billion for the border along with additional funds for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan – and said that the House-passed provisions were needed to reduce the number of people crossing the border.

“This is not about sending more money down here, it’s about changing the policy, and the White House seems not to understand that,” Johnson said.

“You can’t just pick and choose” single policy changes, like reforms to asylum rules, Johnson said, and “expect that you’re going to solve the problem.”

Johnson visited Eagle Pass with a large group of his members as the GOP