White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a Thursday press conference that Republicans who are criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris for not visiting the border “need more to do.”
“I’ve seen that,” Psaki said when a reporter pointed out that Republicans had been critical of Harris. “They need more to do, I think.”
“This confusion is very perplexing to me, I have to be honest,” Psaki responded after the reporter asked if the White House is suggesting that Harris’ diplomatic role is disconnected from the border. (RELATED: ‘Honestly, It’s A Disaster’: Sheriff Describes ‘Staggering’ Number Of Migrants Crossing The Border)
“The current president, who was vice president, he ran point on the Northern Triangle when he was vice president,” she continued. “And that’s obviously a role that is focused on diplomacy.”
“The vice president has had a number of those conversations at the leader level,” Psaki said. “And having a discussion about what steps can be taken, whether it’s improving the personnel and the approach they each take at the border, we’ve seen some steps they’ve taken on that front, or whether it is working with them to determine how we can provide the best assistance to address the root causes over the long term.”
Psaki added that Harris’ diplomatic role is linked to her role at the border because if the root causes of the immigration crisis aren’t addressed, there will continue to be a large number of migrants crossing the border. She described the task of overseeing the border as not being “a one-woman job,” and added that United States Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas “is obviously playing a significant role.”
Harris announced Wednesday that she plans to visit Mexico and Guatemala to address the root causes of the crisis at the border. Republicans have repeatedly criticized Harris for not taking a trip to visit the border since President Joe Biden announced in late March that she would lead the administration’s response to the crisis.