Taking Resources Away from Vets to Fix Biden’s Border Crisis is Unfair, Bad Policy, Says Ernst
New legislation would prohibit the president from using Dept. of Veterans Affairs funds for operations at the Southern border.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a combat veteran, is pushing back against any potential plans by the Biden administration to use Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) resources to try and fix his crisis at the Southern border after Title 42 is lifted. Ernst is backing new legislation introduced by Senator John Boozman (R-Ark.) to prohibit the president from using VA funds for operations at the Southern border to address the surge that may result from the administration’s repeal of Title 42.
“With a historic crisis at our Southern border, President Biden is pouring gas on the flames with his move to lift Title 42—a decision his own administration admits will make the situation even worse,” said Senator Joni Ernst. “The president taking resources away from our veterans to try and fix the border mess he’s created would be unfair and bad policy, and there’s no way this administration should be allowed to do it.”
Earlier this week, Ernst sent a letter to the president expressing her strong opposition to the proposal to use VA personnel to deal with “the inevitable escalation of the border crisis” once the Biden administration “unwisely rescinds its Title 42 Order.”
Last week, Ernst and her colleagues demanded answers from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on recent changes to how the department enforces border security and processes migrants at the Southern border. Ernst has slammed the Biden administration’s border policies and urged the administration to rethink plans to lift Title 42, calling the influx of illegal immigrants “an absolute national security disaster.”
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