'I guess their Dr. Seuss approach didn't work for them': Cocky Nancy slams GOP over new focus on immigration in bid to distract from COVID relief plan
Speaker Nancy Pelosi slammed Republicans on Thursday for focusing on immigration during the pandemic, quipping that since Dr. Seuss didn't work as a distraction from the COVID relief plan, they had to try another approach.
'I guess their Dr. Seuss approach didn't work for them, so now they've had to change the subject,' she said at her weekly press conference on Capitol Hill. 'But we do not prioritize our values and how we can make a difference in the lives of the American people to be attuned to the bankruptcy of ideas that the Republicans have.'
She also blasted the GOP lawmakers for voting against the American Rescue Plan - it didn't get a single Republican vote - but making sure its dollars went to their districts. President Joe Biden will sign the $1.9 trillion relief package into law on Friday.
'Unfortunately Republicans, as I say, vote no and take the dough,' she said, adding: 'Anyway, enough of them.'
The speaker, in the meantime, praised Biden for having a 'humane' border policy even as immigration numbers are on the rise, with more than 100,000 migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in February.
'They have a humane policy about how they... can get them situated in with family members or a safe place for them to be. And it will be nothing like what we saw in the Trump administration of babies being snatched from the arms of their parents. To me, as a mom and a grandmother, that to me is like the most vile - with stiff competition from the Trump administration - but one of the most vile things they did,' she said.
'I trust the Biden administration's policy to be based on humanitarian and love of children, rather than political points or red meat for their for their Republican base,' she added.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi slammed Republicans for focusing on immigration during the pandemic, quipping that since Dr. Seuss didn't work as a distraction from the COVID relief plan, they had to try another approach
House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy posted a video of him reading a Dr. Seuss book; many Republicans slammed 'cancel culture' as lawmakers debated a COVID relief package
Republicans also are attacking President Biden about the situation at the border, which the administration has repeatedly refused a 'crisis,' as the number of crossing is on the rise
Democrats have blasted Republicans for complaining about the movies, cartoons and children's books that have been reexamined for insensitive racial commentary during a time Americans are suffering from the pandemic.
Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio let loose on the House floor on Wednesday, demanding Republicans work with Democrats to pass relief measures.
'Heaven forbid we pass something that's going to help the damn workers in the United States of America! Heaven forbid we tilt the balance that has been going in the wrong direction for 50 years,' Ryan yelled, waving his arms over his head. 'Now stop talking about Dr. Seuss, and start working with us on behalf of the American workers.'
The issue coalesced around Dr. Seuss after the publisher of the longtime children's author said six of his books would no longer be published because they contained racial insensitivities.
House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy even posted a video of himself reading Dr. Seuss books to his social media accounts and conservatives flooded social media and TV news with complaints about 'cancel culture' as lawmakers debated the $1.9 trillion COVID relief plan.
But Republicans also are attacking Biden about the situation at the border, which the administration has repeatedly refused a 'crisis.'
McCarthy will soon lead a group of 10 House Republicans to visit the border area to draw attention to it as some Republicans see the issue as one that can help them win back the House and Senate in the 2022 elections.
'This is not a political issue anymore, it's becoming a national security concern,' McCarthy said Thursday during a press conference at the Capitol.
Republicans are pushing the cancel culture and immigration issues in the wake of the Democratic victory in getting their COVID relief plan passed. Polls show a majority of Americans support the American Rescue Plan.
New data published on Wednesday showed that the number of migrants detained along the southern border rose in February to levels not seen since 2019, when a dramatic surge in migrant family arrivals overwhelmed border facilities.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said their agents and officers detained or processed 100,441 migrants in February.
They turned away 72,113 migrants, forcing them back across the border under public health restrictions known as Title 42 to curb the spread of COVID-19.
A group of migrants from Guatemala are seen in Texas on Wednesday, having crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico
Sarah, from Honduras, carries her 17-month-old daughter Lucia after crossing the Rio Grande
Roberta Jacobsen, a special advisor to Joe Biden on migration, addressed the issue on Wednesday
The CBP said 25,000 of the migrants they encountered in February had already attempted to cross the border previously.
Roberta Jacobsen, ambassador to Mexico from 2016-18 who now serves as a special advisor to Biden, admitted in a White House briefing on Wednesday that the timing of the surge was 'no coincidence'.
She said: 'We've seen surges before. Surges tend to respond to hope, and there was significant hope for a more humane policy after four years of pent-up demand.
'So I don't know if I would call that a coincidence.'
