Harris AWOL on Border – More Oversight Needed

Vice President Harris is AWOL on the border crisis. Can there be any question? The fact may be political cowardice, deflection from Biden’s missteps, or intent to elevate illegal immigration – popping illegal voting in 2022 or 2024. Any way you slice it, she is not leading, not serving average Americans, and not earning her keep. Republicans should ramp up oversight.

To be clear, Vice President Harris receives $235,000 annually as Vice President. President Biden, whose main job is misreading cue cards, gets $400,000. Biden, having opened the US border by nixing Trump’s policies, assigned Harris one job: Fix it.

Media called this her great opportunity, comparing it to Biden’s role in US withdrawal from Iraq and recession response. 

To date, Harris has gone to Guatemala and Mexico, gotten a brush-off.

You could say leaders in both “unfriended” her or say she stumbled miserably and came home. Both countries said: No, not our crime and climate change, but Biden’s unmistakable invitation to flood your zone.

Not surprisingly, but rather creatively, more than 50 Republicans in Congress have officially asked Biden to decommission Harris – bench this do-nothing “border czar” for “inaction.” The basis for their call is her failure to visit the border she is supposed to be deescalating. She is accused of non-responsiveness, incompetence, indifference, cowardice. Fair enough.

“Despite being in the midst of a border crisis … Vice President Harris has not yet shown adequate interest in observing this crisis first-hand,” says the letter, adding “in the 85 days since the Vice President has been tasked with solving this crisis, she has yet to visit the border and meet with Border Patrol agents, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and local law enforcement officials.” See, e.g., 56 House Republicans urge Biden to remove Harris from leading role on migration crisis.

Congressional Democrats dismissed the letter as “unserious,” while the Washington Post reshaped her mandate as aimed at foreign countries, a mini-Secretary of State – not a border czar. Biden made the appointment with border hoopla – saying “she speaks for me” on border issues, “work will not be easy,” “important work.” Harris was further tasked with “developing a long-term strategy to stem border migration.”

For starters, let us ask an obvious question:

Is this a nothing-burger job, one for which no credit will flow to Harris if the border shapes up, or is this a real job – of the kind first imagined and for which press outlets gave glowing reviews, a chance to shine, demonstrate leadership? See, e.g., Biden tasks Harris with ‘stemming the migration’ on southern border.

If it is a nothing job, just something to pitch press, pretend she is doing something for her $235,000 dollars a year, just say so. Between state funerals, we can mull a failed envoy. But if this is a real job, let us see what she is doing, shall we?

Here is the rub. Yes, she should be on the border, regularly, with intent, listening, learning, reaffirming the rule of law, sending that missing signal – border closed, law enforcement counts, and she is doing her job. But there is far more here – that needs to be examined.

Having worked in two White Houses, as an Assistant Secretary of State, run a chunk of congressional oversight for five years, other questions need to be asked – and now. For example, a Vice President commissioned for such high-level performance should be working directly with cabinet members and the national security council in cabinet-level, deputy, and working group meetings – if not daily, at least twice weekly.

Is she? If so, show us. If not, why not?

Similarly, if she is commissioned to fix the border, shape a successful strategy – which might be, to return to Trump’s policies – where is the working group, who is on it, how often does it meet, who is lead agency, will they issue a report, when? If none of the above is happening, why not?

Again, if you are a leader, how are you leading?

Giggling at press conferences, deflecting questions about leadership with non-sequiturs, non-answers, anger, inapt laughter, and disingenuous “I do not understand your question” responses – is worse than poor. It is a denial of leadership, dissembling to avoid having responsibility. Why?

Back to oversight, how about congressional Republicans ask the Secretaries of State, Justice, Homeland, and Interior how often they have met with Harris – on this border issue? How about asking the White House for border-related agendas, calendars, phone logs, executive secretariat summaries, documents codifying progress by the Vice President’s internal working group? If nothing comes back, how many documents? No answer, executive privilege being claimed? If so, on what basis?

Bottom line: Many Americans are being adversely affected by the open border. Busloads of illegals show up at night in our Heartland.

That must stop. Many suspect Harris is expected to do nothing. Worse, some believe the southern border is being left open for a reason.

What reason? Perhaps to denounce all border policies tied to Trump, from wall constriction to treaties; or to raise the number of illegal aliens (forbidden term) dependent on federal, State, and local governments – growing the dependent class; or to clandestinely send illegals to various states, with an unspoken intent of elevating illegal voting, if state reforms fail and S.1 passes.

Any way you slice it, Vice President Harris is AWOL on the border.

Whether political cowardice, deflection from Biden’s unending ineptitude, or to push illegal immigration – and illegal voting in 2022 or 2024, she is not leading, not serving average Americans, not doing her assigned job. Republicans should ramp up oversight – and then keep right on-ramping.