Democrats' 'infrastructure' push neglects border amid crisis

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President Joe Biden meets with bipartisan group of lawmakers to discuss American Jobs Plan

Democrats' infrastructure push appears to exclude enhancing the nation's southern border, despite the crisis caused by an alarming surge of illegal immigrants.

As President Biden and Democrats try to ram a $2 trillion spending plan through Congress, the migrant crisis affecting America continues to grow. 

However, the president's spending plan does not address border infrastructure, even as the nation faces what is predicted to be the largest surge of migrants at the southern border in 20 years.

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The president’s spending plan has been styled as a bill to expand American infrastructure but spends less than $750 million of the $2 trillion price tag on what has been traditionally defined as such.

In fact, the majority of the cash being dropped is going to non-infrastructure related policies, including (but not limited to) eliminating "racial and gender inequities" in research and development jobs and the STEM field, as well as protect and "empower workers."

BIDEN’S $2T SPENDING PLAN, BILLED AS INFRASTRUCTURE BILL, SPENDS LESS THAN HALF ON INFRASTRUCTURE

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News when asked for comment on why the president’s infrastructure plan did not address any work at the border.

The president's immigration proposal in January called to supplement "existing border resources with technology and infrastructure."

Margaret Mulkerrin, a spokesperson for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told Fox News that Biden's plan was "a starting point" and that the House Democrats will "continue listening to and working with" lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to put together infrastructure bills.

"The American Jobs Plan is designed to expand economic opportunity in every single community across the country, including those at our Northern and Southern border by improving roads, bridges, rail, sea and land ports and creating good paying jobs here at home," said Mulkerrin. 

"This proposal is a starting point and we will continue listening to and working with Members on both sides of the aisle to develop infrastructure legislation. House Democrats are committed to advancing needed infrastructure improvements that do not include wasteful spending and uphold our values."

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as well as Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment on Biden’s plan not addressing border infrastructure.

Forty House Republican lawmakers sent a letter to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee last week calling for the prioritization of completing the border wall started under President Trump "and true border security infrastructure." 

Multiple Democrats in Congress have spoken out in the past for the need of infrastructure at the border.

Rep. Tom O’Holleran, D-Ari., called for the U.S. to "invest" more in border infrastructure and "support" for border law enforcement agents in a 2019 tweet.

BIDEN DESCRIBES BORDER SURGE AS A ‘CRISIS’ AS HE DEFENDS REFUGEE MOVES

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who has been critical of the Biden border response, included a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) quote from an article in a 2020 press release where CBP said the Laredo Sector "lacks infrastructure."

Additionally, Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., told the San Diego Union-Tribune in September 2020 that he supported "increased funding for smart border security technology."

Illegal border crossings have surged since Biden took office in January, putting pressure on the southern border. Biden referred to the growing crisis as such over the weekend while his administration on Monday ordered federal immigration agencies to nix terms such as "illegal immigrant" from their lexicon.

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White House press secretary Jen Psaki walked back the president's comment on Monday. 

"The president does not feel that children coming to our border seeking refuge from violence, economic hardships and other dire circumstances is a crisis," Psaki said during a press briefing.

"He does feel that the crisis in Central America, the dire circumstances that many are fleeing from, that that is a situation we need to spend our time, our effort on, and we need to address it if we’re going to prevent more of an influx of migrants from coming in years to come."

Fox News' Tyler Olson contributed to this report.