(CNN) — President Joe Biden called on House Republicans to accept the bipartisan border deal, calling it “the strongest border deal the country has ever seen” and urged governors to press Congress to approve the project.
At a meeting of governors at the White House on Friday, Biden emphasized bipartisan efforts to reform the immigration system, including the most recent round with Senate negotiators and administration officials that resulted in some of the toughest border security measures in recent memory.
“Over time, our laws and our resources haven’t kept pace with our system and our system is broken. And our policy has failed to fix it,” Biden said. “The bipartisan agreement represents the fairest and most humane reforms in a long time. I didn’t get everything I wanted. It also includes the toughest reform in history to secure the border.”
Each table where the governors sit has a fact sheet detailing the border agreement, Biden said.
Governors across the country have had to deal with record levels of migrants along the US-Mexico border, as Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott bussed migrants into Democrat-led cities without advance notice. The White House has faced fierce criticism from states as they seek additional resources and policy changes.
“It’s a positive step, a significant step. You know that. You deal with this every day, some of you deal with it every day. You have a lot of skin in the game,” Biden said. “Ask the members of Congress standing in your way to show some courage.”
Biden blamed Republicans for blocking funding for governors whose states take in immigrants.
The Shelter and Services Program, administered by the Department of Homeland Security, is not able to provide additional financial assistance through the end of 2023. Fiscal year 2023 funding has already been allocated, meaning any cities seeking new funding and reimbursements in fiscal year 2024 will not receive them at this time.
