Fox News Host Asks GOP Congressman If Bill Failed Because Republicans ‘Are Scared Stiff’ of Trump

Fox News host Neil Cavuto confronted Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) over congressional Republicans’ opposition to a border security and immigration bill last month.

As Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) was about to unveil bipartisan legislation to address immigration, Trump warned Republicans not to pass it unless it was “perfect.” Trump is seeking to use immigration as an issue against President Joe Biden in their anticipated rematch in the 2024 presidential election. The bill died in the Senate after House Republican leadership said it would be “dead on arrival” in the lower chamber.

Appearing on Thursday’s Your World, Gonzales emphasized the need to “work together” to forge a solution, prompting Cavuto to note last month’s legislative debacle.

“Democrats come back right at you – not you, personally, Congressman – and say, ‘Republicans in general, we had a great crafted package. It wasn’t perfect, but was something. If we had done that, coupled with what the president’s doing, we would be off to the races.; What do you say?” Cavuto asked

Gonzales claimed the package failed because it would have allowed too many migrants into the country.

Cavuto interrupted to highlight Trump’s role in torpedoing the legislation.

“I’m sorry, Sir,” the host said. “But didn’t that package really fail because Donald Trump didn’t want it? And many in your party – I’m not saying you are, Sir – are scared stiff of the guy. You didn’t want to offend him, you didn’t want to tick him off. So, that was why it died.”

“What if I told you, Neil, this is a lucrative topic and everybody wants to mine it and nobody wants to solve it,” Gonzales replied, not entirely rejecting Cavuto’s premise. “I think Americans have had enough with the politics. We’re not going to wait until a new president comes to solve it. Let’s solve it today.”

Cavuto tried again.

“But wasn’t that the chance that both parties had, Sir, with this interim agreement?” he asked. “It wasn’t perfect, to your fine point, but the fact that Donald Trump didn’t like it, many in your party didn’t want to fight him. They’re scared of him or he’s bedeviling them, or I don’t know. He’s gonna come back and do something horrible. I don’t know what it is. And that’s what blew it up.”

Gonzales replied by suggesting the defeated legislation was “window dressing.”

Watch above via Fox News.