'Well, we gotta do something,' Biden said, 'They ought to give me the money I need to protect the border'
Biden says 'we gotta do something' when questioned about the border crisis
When questioned about the chaos at America's southern border, President Biden blamed Republicans for not providing sufficient funds.
President Biden was slammed by critics for his comments about doing "something" at America’s southern border, which is facing unprecedented levels of illegal immigrant crossings.
Sources with Customs and Border Protection told Fox News Digital that migrant encounters hit a staggering 300,000 incidents in December 2023, reaching a level thought unimaginable just years ago. It is the highest total for a single month ever recorded and also the first time migrant encounters have exceeded 300,000.
While walking from Marine One into the White House Tuesday night, Biden was asked by a reporter what he was going to do about the southern border and the record number of migrants going through.
"Well, we gotta do something," Biden answered before appearing to say, "They [Republicans] ought to give me the money I need to protect the border."
Biden has been condemned in recent months not just by conservatives, but also by Democratic leaders in liberal states for the chaos at America's southern border.
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Some Biden critics rejected the idea that a lack of funding is the reason why the border is so overrun.
"Oh yeah, more money. But not to ‘protect the border’. It’s to pay for more lawyers to lie for the illegal migrants posing as asylum seekers," Fox News contributor Miranda Devine wrote. "It’s to pay for more NGOs to continue the cartel’s human trafficking work around the country. It’s to pay for more ‘humanitarian’ aid at the border, and more money wasted on ‘root cause’ boondoggles. Anything but secure the border. It doesn’t take more money to do that. Just the political will. He can close it tomorrow if he wants. He has enough new Biden voters now anyway."
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., shared a similar theory, arguing, "What he's asking for is money for more agents to process illegals and bring them into the country, not protect the border."
Migrants wait in line adjacent to the border fence under the watch of the Texas National Guard to enter into El Paso, Texas, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton, File)
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"Build the wall and enforce the law!" the Republican Party’s official account wrote on X.
"Yes, Biden’s ‘gotta do something’—or Congress won’t fund the government," Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, wrote.
"This is what President Biden does instead of actual press conferences," retired Army colonel James Hutton wrote.
Fox News' Timothy H.J. Nerozzi and Griff Jenkins contributed to this report.
Alexander Hall is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to
