In a memo, Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates criticized Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans for prioritizing a vacation over crucial national security issues, including undermining Ukraine’s defense and neglecting bipartisan legislation.
Bates emphasized the repercussions, stating, “The damage House Republicans are actively causing to American national security mounts every day that they insist on continuing their two-week vacation.”
The memo highlights Speaker Johnson’s disregard for bipartisan support and the potential harm caused by neglecting critical security priorities.
Bates also accuses Johnson of jeopardizing NATO alliances, industrial jobs, and denying aid “to Israel as well as humanitarian assistance to innocent Palestinians.”
The memo concludes with a suggestion for House Republicans to educate themselves on the consequences of their actions through a “Vacation Reading Packet.”
Read the memo in full:
The damage House Republicans are actively causing to American national security mounts every day that they insist on continuing their two-week vacation.
Even though the Senate passed critically-needed national security priorities with overwhelmingly bipartisan support – and even though members of Speaker Johnson’s own conference have been explicit that the same legislation would also pass the House – Speaker Johnson has shown no signs of cancelling Republicans’ vacation as he puts his own internal politics above the safety of the American people.
Speaker Johnson is undermining Ukraine’s defenses as innocent civilians are murdered by Putin and his Iranian allies, endangering NATO countries the United State is obligated to defend, threatening industrial jobs across our country, setting America back in the Indo-Pacific, and denying military assistance to Israel as well as humanitarian assistance to innocent Palestinians.
What’s more, Speaker Johnson also killed the toughest, strongest border security legislation in decades, siding with fentanyl-traffickers over the Border Patrol Union as soon as Donald Trump sounded alarms that the bipartisan deal would hurt his political interests by helping families.
If House Republicans are committed to their vacation the least they can do is read about the harm they are causing as they undermine American national security.
Vacation Reading Packet for the House Republican Conference:
House Republicans’ failure to act contributed to Ukraine need to retreat from the town of Avdiivka, and Russia’s most significant battlefield gains in 9 months.
Fox News, 2/17/2024: “Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the key battleground town of Avdiivka in the east of the country, which could pave the way for a Russian advance as the war nears its second anniversary. The withdrawal, announced as Ukraine faces acute shortages of ammunition with U.S. military aid delayed for months in Congress, aimed to save troops from being fully surrounded by Russian forces after months of fierce fighting, Kyiv said.”
House Republicans are also threatening manufacturing jobs in America’s heartland.
Associated Press, 2/20/2024: “At a bustling construction site outside of Dallas, there are hopes that Congress can finally pass nearly $95 billion in foreign aid including funding for Ukraine — because factory jobs in the United States depend on that money…As President Joe Biden pushes House Republicans to pass needed aid, he wants voters to understand that nearly two-thirds — or nearly $40 billion — of the money for Ukraine would actually go to U.S. factories spread out across the country including plants in Lima, Ohio and Scranton, Pennsylvania as well as Mesquite.”
While House Republicans purport to care about cracking down on the abuse of children, they are turning a blind eye as Russia has kidnapped thousands of Ukrainian children.
BBC News, 2/9/2024: “Ukraine’s missing children tracked down in Russia by digital sleuths”
Claiming he supports Ukraine and border security but constantly finding excuses to accomplish the opposite, Speaker Johnson is cementing a legacy of false promises and unreliability.
Dan Balz in The Washington Post, 2/17/2024: “[Speaker Johnson] has called for tougher policies to halt the surge of migrants coming across the U.S.-Mexico border. He has said he favors additional aid for Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression and more assistance for Israel in its war with Hamas. But he has delivered on none of this, even when given the opportunity for action. Johnson’s actions fall far short of words. In fact, they have been in conflict. Johnson keeps finding loopholes or excuses or rationales to avoid acting on the very priorities he claims to support.”
The decisive results of New York’s special election last week, in which House Republicans’ blocking of bipartisan border security legislation was a top issue, shows the American people are infuriated.
Axios, 2/15/2024: “Even Republicans acknowledge that Democrat Tom Suozzi’s embrace of stricter border policy — and his attacks on Republicans for rejecting the Senate’s bipartisan border bill — contributed to his eight-point victory.”
Finally, Speaker Johnson should *actually* read the bipartisan border security legislation that is endorsed by the Border Patrol Union and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce because it would make America safer and secure our border.
ABC News, 2/6/2024: “Border Patrol union backs Senate immigration bill despite House GOP opposition”
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2/5/2024: “U.S. Chamber of Commerce Applauds U.S. Senate’s Bipartisan Border Security Bill”
