House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) accused Republicans of “inventing” the title “secretary for border affairs” to refer to Vice President Harris, just before six members of the House Democratic Caucus voted to criticize her handling of the migrant crisis.
“There is only one bill being debated today … and I believe that is a false and fraudulent resolution fabricated by one of our congresswomen from New York who has lied about the vice president and continues to embarrass her,” Rep. Jeffries told reporters during his weekly press conference.
“She never held the position of border commissioner. They’re making that up because the radical MAGA Republicans are totally broken.”
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday defended the resolution censuring Vice President Kamala Harris over the border. (Getty Images)
The resolution was introduced by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R.N.), Chair of the House Republican Conference.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Jeffries for her response.
Harris was tapped by President Biden in 2021 to lead the administration’s response to the border crisis, including the root causes of mass migration, particularly from Central and South America.
Republicans have long accused Harris of not doing her job well, but those attacks have taken on new vigour after she was nominated to succeed Biden in the November 2024 election.
Democrats and some mainstream media outlets have argued that Harris was not given the title “secretary for border affairs,” including Axios, which called her that title. April 2021.
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Migrants travelling north towards the U.S. border walk along a highway through Suchiate, Chiapas, southern Mexico, Sunday, July 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Edgar H. Clemente) (AP Photo/Edgar H. Clemente)
But Jeffries argued that Republicans are “making it up because they don’t have a positive policy, vision or track record for the American people.”
His comments came just before the House was set to pass Stefanik’s resolution, the first major House bill targeting Harris since she became the Democratic nominee.
Six Democrats joined all Republicans and the bill passed 220-196.
House Democrats who voted in favor of the resolution were Reps. Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Grusenkamp Perez of Washington, Mary Peltola of Alaska, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Don Davis of North Carolina and Yadira Carabeo of Colorado.
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In his speech, Jeffries criticized House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik. (Reuters/Mike Seeger)
They are also some of the few Democrats who have not endorsed Harris, even as leaders such as Jeffries, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have lagged behind Biden’s chosen successor.
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But Jeffries said at a news conference that he hasn’t heard from House Democrats that there’s a problem with the way the party has handled the recent political turmoil.
“I haven’t spoken to anyone in the House Democratic caucus, but they have told me they are outraged by what’s happening,” Jeffries said. “President Biden, as he demonstrated last night, is ready to make his case to the American people and is selflessly determined to pass the baton to the next generation of Democrats, led by Vice President Harris. We are united. The other side is falling apart.”
