Rep. Stefanik Denies Claims of Party Divisions; Blames Dems, Media
(Newsmax/"John Bachman Now")
By Sandy Fitzgerald | Sunday, 25 September 2022 03:20 PM EDT
Rep. Elise Stefanik, who chairs the House Republican Conference, denied reports indicating that more conservative members in the chamber feel like they are being taken for granted by other members of the GOP, and she accused the media and Democrats of making such claims while "trying to divide us."
"We are united, the House Republicans," Stefanik, R-N.Y., told Fox News Sunday, adding that all members can provide input to the party's agenda.
She also rejected arguments from Democrats that the party's new "Commitment to America" agenda, released this past week, does not include a fully detailed plan.
"There are ample details," she said, noting the agenda plan outlines proposals that will reduce inflation through cuts to government spending, lowering energy costs and introducing bills that support a parental bill of rights, law enforcement and eliminating spending for 87,000 new IRS agents outlined in President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act.
But Democrats, said Stefanik, have no plan but are "attacking us because they have created crises across this country."
Stefanik Sunday also defended moves by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to transport migrants to Democrat-led cities and states, including New York City, Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C.
Her defense came after a slam by House Democratic Caucus chair Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who has called on GOP governors to "start behaving like governors and stop behaving like human traffickers."
"Hakeem Jeffries should start acting like a leader rather than a partisan hack," Stefanik said, while blaming the situation at the border and the growth of immigration issues as being "the result of Joe Biden's failure" after "we had the most secure border" under former President Donald Trump.
"We know the policies that work: build the wall and catch and release," she said. "Republicans will absolutely work to secure the border."
There were "significant inroads" made under Trump, but illegal crossings have "skyrocketed under Joe Biden."
"We were addressing the crisis and that has unraveled since Day 1 under Joe Biden, creating this crisis," she said. "The American people know that, and they will hold Democrats accountable for this [in] November."