House Republicans tell Abbott: ‘Stand your ground’ in fight against Biden
Anna Giaritelli
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House Republicans from Texas rallied in support of Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) after the Biden administration sued the Lone Star State for placing a buoy barrier in a portion of the state’s 1,250-mile border.
The band of roughly 10 Republicans gathered on Capitol Hill Thursday and urged the three-term governor not to back down with his militarization of certain parts of the state’s border with Mexico.
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“I have a message for our governor of the great state of Texas, Gov. Abbott. Stay the course. Stand your ground, and continue to defend the great state of Texas,” said Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX), who organized the press conference. “You’re doing what’s right. You’re doing what’s necessary. And you are exercising your constitutional power and authority as a sovereign state leader.”
The move came days after the Justice Department sued Abbott and ordered the 1,000-foot-long string of large red buoys be removed from the Rio Grande, between Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, in Mexico.
“It’s one thing that the federal government has refused to secure the border, and Texas has had to spend so much money,” said Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX). “It’s another thing when they actually get in our way and tell us we have to stop securing our border.”
All GOP lawmakers blamed President Joe Biden for the 7 million noncitizens who have been encountered attempting to enter the United States without permission since he took office, and some lawmakers called for the party to refuse to support appropriations until the matter is rectified.
In a passionate plea, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) called on Republicans not to fund appropriations bills until the matter was fixed and compared the fight between the GOP governor and Democratic president to “war.”
“Why would we fund a federal government that is at war with the people of Texas and endangering our people and endangering the migrants in the process?” Roy said.
Roy, the author of House-passed H.R. 2, called for the Senate to pass his border security bill and for both chambers to repay Texas for roughly $10 billion that it has spent and plans to spend between 2021 and 2025.
Arrington predicted the matter would go all the way to the highest court.
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“All legal roads will lead to the Supreme Court,” Arrington said. “And all legal questions will ultimately lead to the supreme question, ‘Does the governor and do our states have the powers of self-defense when there’s an abdication of the common defense by the federal government?'”
Arrington said Texas was operating in good faith and protected by the Constitution for how it guarantees the federal government protect states against an “invasion.”