White House press secretary Jen Psaki blamed Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s truck inspections at the U.S.-Mexico border for job delays and rising prices in a Wednesday statement.
“Governor Abbott’s unnecessary and redundant inspections of trucks transiting ports of entry between Texas and Mexico are causing significant disruptions to the food and automobile supply chains, delaying manufacturing, impacting jobs and raising prices for families in Texas and across the country,” Psaki said.
“Local businesses and trade associations are calling on Governor Abbott to reverse this decision because trucks are facing lengthy delays exceeding 5 hours at some border crossings and commercial traffic has dropped by as much as 60%,” she continued. “The continuous flow of legitimate trade and travel and CBP’s ability to do its job should not be obstructed. Governor Abbott’s actions are impacting people’s jobs, and the livelihoods of hardworking American families.”
White House @PressSec calls on TX Gov. Greg Abbott to end the “unnecessary and redundant inspections of trucks transiting ports of entry between Texas and Mexico”
Psaki says the inspections are worsening food supply chain issues, amid rising prices pic.twitter.com/sfVu9ikBFC
— Christian Datoc (@TocRadio) April 13, 2022
Abbott’s border security measures have caused long delays while crossing the border, which truck drivers are warning could lead to a disruption in the national supply chain. The governor’s new regulations follow the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announcing an end to Title 42 by May 23, a Trump-era policy that led to over 1.7 million expulsions to protect against COVID-19. (RELATED: ‘Neanderthal Thinking’: Biden, White House Bash State Governors For Ending Mask Mandates)
The Texas Department of Safety (DPS) will now conduct “enhanced safety inspections” on vehicles crossing seven ports of entry from Mexico to protect against cartel activity, which reportedly jeopardizes hundreds of billions of dollars in international trade.
Abbott is anticipating a rise in smuggling due to the termination of the Trump-era immigration policy next month, Fox News reported.