WSJ editorial board calls on Republicans to reach a border deal

Jan 08, 2024

The Wall Street Journal editorial board urged Republicans in Congress on Sunday to reach a deal on border security rather than saving the issue as a campaign matter.

“As for House Republicans, they promised in 2022 to do something about the migrant surge, and here is their opening,” the editorial board wrote on Sunday. “It’s not as if they have much else to tout when they campaign for re-election. If they won’t accept this rare chance at incremental progress, voters can fairly conclude that Republicans want to exploit the border election after election without actually solving the problem.”

The editorial comes as Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford, Republicans’ top negotiator on a potential border deal, said Sunday that a deal on immigration and border policy could be reached this week as critical funding deadlines approach.

Meanwhile, House Republicans have demanded stricter border policies as right-leaning members threaten to shut down the government without action.

“Some House Republicans would rather have the issue in November than a policy victory now,” the editorial board writes. “Donald Trump may be rooting for that result so he can flog the border mess on the campaign trail.”

The WSJ editorial board points out that months ago, “Democrats wouldn’t even discuss changing incentives to the asylum system,” and “they’re waking up to the political harm” it’s doing to their own party. At the same time, some House Republicans are demanding that President Joe Biden and the Democratic Senate accept in full the GOP bill that calls for 900 miles of border wall to be built, the editorial board says.

“Navigating all of this is a test of leadership for Speaker [Mike] Johnson and the President,” the editorial board writes. “A deal is in the national interest, and their own political interest, and a failure would be a debacle on both counts.”

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