Republican on Fox Calls for the GOP to ‘Shut Down the Economy’ to Fix Immigration: ‘We Should, Really’
Republican Congresswoman Victoria Spartz (R-IN) joined Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo to discuss a variety of issues on Tuesday, including border security. The lengthy interview included many regular talking points, but went off track briefly when Spartz appeared to call for shutting down the U.S. economy.
Bartiromo introduced the interview, saying, “President Biden speaking with the speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Minority Leader in the Senate Mitch McConnell about border legislation yesterday. The White House says that Biden called for Republicans to stop playing politics and act quickly to pass the Senate’s border bill, insisting that it would add thousands of Border Patrol agents, combat drug smuggling and make our country safer, according to the White House. Prior to speaking with Biden, though, Speaker Johnson wrote this on X, ‘Leader Schumer is trying to give his vulnerable members cover by bringing a vote on a bill which has already failed. Should it reach the House, the bill will be dead on arrival.’”
The host then introduced Spartz, who was born in Ukraine, and asked, “Why do you think the Democrats want to revive this border bill now after it failed?”
“Well Maria it is a totally playing politics for sure,” Spartz replied, adding:
You know, they have some tough races and for Senate and they just want to put lipstick on a pig. It’s still a pig and make it look like they’re trying to do something on the border security, which is a serious issue. And they completely failed and they don’t have a serious intent. And that bill was full of loopholes. And it’s a joke. So it’s not a serious legislation. It’s really just a messaging and talking points for Democrats.
“So this is just a talking point in an election year to make people believe that they actually care about the wide open border?” Bartiromo followed up.
“Of course, because people, the American people have seen what’s happening and I don’t think they’re going to be buying that. But that’s a really their, you know, last effort to try to hold the Senate and they’ve tried to make it look like they’re doing something, but they don’t even need to have legislation to to enforce border security,” Spartz replied, offering common GOP talking points.
After further back and forth on the border, Spartz concluded, “Well, listen, I think unfortunately, I was very disappointed when we had our foreign aid package. That was really a serious way for us to make a stand on the border.”
“And I was very disappointed that a lot of my colleagues decided not to hold the ground, including the speaker of the House,” Spartz said, referring to the GOP withholding military aid to Israel and Ukraine as leverage for enhanced border security.
“I don’t see any other opportunities to be able to have a serious, concrete, meaningful legislation that would make a difference to reform, you know, some of the asylum procedures to tighten parole procedures and, you know, and instill some of the, you know, the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policies we need to get them back, you know, to really to put pressure to control that border,” Spartz argued, adding:
So I just don’t see any sense left there because no one wants to shut down the economy. Unfortunately, we should, really! For such a serious issue. But Republicans are not going to do it. And, you know, and we are not just going to let Democrats have message and bill with lots of loopholes.
Bartiromo did not follow up and moved on to ask about foreign policy.
Watch the clip above via Fox Business.
