OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Joe Biden scratched his head and looked away when confronted about reports that his administration is considering a plan to pay $450,000 per person to illegal immigrants who had been separated from their families during the Trump administration.
Biden ignored a question from Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy on Sunday when asked about this plan.
“Mr. President, is it true we’re going to give $450,000 to border crossers who are separated?” Doocy shouted as Biden rode an escalator after his press conference in Rome at the G20 leaders.
Biden, who had been looking toward the camera while Doocy asked the question, responded by looking away and scratching his forehead.
WATCH:
Last week, an explosive report from the Wall Street Journal alleged that the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services are considering payments of $450,000 to family members who were separated after crossing the border illegally during the Trump administration.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted the reports, calling the proposed payouts a “slap in the face” to American citizens.
“I’ve seen a lot in my day. I’ve seen a lot that’s happened in the last nine or ten months that I never thought I’d see. But this takes the cake. If that is done, that is going to be a slap in the face to every hard-working American,” DeSantis said.
The Governor said he was “very, very concerned about reports, I think it was in the Wall Street Journal, that the Biden administration is going to pay with tax dollars hundreds of millions of dollars to people who came to our country illegally across the southern border as ‘damages.’”
“I mean, you think about it, Americans are getting more in their gas bills. They’re getting more in their grocery bills. You’ve had all kinds of really bad policies throughout our country that have limited freedom. And you’re going to turn around from that and you’re going to do $475,000 for an individual that came illegally to this country,” DeSantis decried.
Texas GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw also slammed Biden, alluding that military families get worse government benefits than that.
“Biden wants to pay illegal immigrants $450,000 for their hardship while breaking our laws,” Crenshaw, R-Texas, a Navy SEAL veteran, tweeted. “For perspective, if a service member is killed in action, their next of kin gets an insurance payment of $400,000. Let that sink in.”
Biden wants to pay illegal immigrants $450,000 for their hardship while breaking our laws.
For perspective, if a service member is killed in action, their next of kin gets an insurance payment of $400,000.
Let that sink in. https://t.co/J3kuhDhyD5
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) October 28, 2021
Several other Republicans attacked the president over the Wall Street Journal report.
“Pres Biden reportedly wants to pay a billion dollars to illegal immigrants in the middle of a record-setting border crisis What in the world is he thinking???” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, tweeted. Grassley also said the report is “UNACCEPTABLE.”
UNACCEPTABLE Report says Biden admin considering payments of 450k per person 2ppl who crossed the border ILLEGALLY Those are taxpayers dollars We should not be paying anything to ppl who break our laws
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) October 28, 2021
