Psaki Rips Gov. Abbott For ‘Unnecessary’ Trucker Inspections: Disrupting ‘Supply Chains, Delaying Manufacturing, Impacting Jobs, and Raising Prices’

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White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki lit into Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) on Wednesday in a statement criticizing the governor’s order to increase inspections of commercial trucks at the U.S.-Mexican border.

Last week, Abbott’s office announced the “aggressive action” as a means to crack down on “cartel-facilitated smuggling” into Texas. Abbott announced the policy in response to the Biden administration ending Title 42, a Trump-ear measure that allowed the U.S. government to turn migrants away at the border and block them from claiming asylum.

“Governor Abbott’s unnecessary and redundant inspections of trucks transiting ports of entry between Texas and Mexico are causing significant disruptions to the food and automobile supply chains, delaying manufacturing, impacting jobs, and raising prices for families in Texas and across the country,” Psaki charged in a statement.

Traffic at one of the busiest ports of entry into the U.S. has been blocked for multiple days, according to a report from Insider, due to Mexican truckers protesting Abbott’s increased inspections.

Psaki’s statement invokes the current price crunch and inflation woes Americans are feeling across the board and the media battle over who is responsible for soaring inflation. The Biden administration has attempted to deflect some blame onto Russian President Vladimir Putin and his brutal invasion of Ukraine, a charge critics on the right are denouncing as political theater.

“Local businesses and trade associations are calling on Governor Abbott to reverse this decision because trucks are facing lengthy delays exceeding 5 hours at some border crossings and commercial traffic has dropped by as much as 60 percent,” Psaki continued.

“ The continuous flow of legitimate trade and travel and CBP’s ability to do its job should not be obstructed. Governor Abbott’s actions are impacting people’s jobs, and the livelihoods of hardworking American families,” the statement concluded.