Lewiston Times

U.S. Rep. Jared F. Golden (D-ME) voted in favor of a resolution that condemned Vice President Harris for her failure to secure the U.S. border, as well as the border policies of the Biden-Harris Administration.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1371, a resolution condemning the border policies of the Biden-Harris Administration, on July 25.

The final vote was 220 - 196, with six Democrats voting to condemn Vice President Kamala Harris for her "failure to secure the United States border" after being tasked with the duty by President Joe Biden at the beginning of their administration. 

Biden announced on March 24, 2021 his appointment of Harris “to lead efforts to stamp migration across the U.S.-Mexico border.”

"This new surge we’re dealing with now started with the last administration, but it’s our responsibility to deal with it humanely and to stop what’s happening," said Biden with the appointment. "This increase has been consequential, but the vice president’s agreed – among the multiple other things I have her leading and I appreciate it – agreed to lead our diplomatic effort and work with those nations to accept the returnees and enhance migration enforcement at their borders."

Since Harris’ appointment, the “surge” of illegal aliens crossing the U.S.-Mexico border has grown worse, with May 2024 being the 39th straight month where border crossings were higher than the highest month during former President Donald Trump's administration. 

"Since Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took office, there have been over 9.7 million illegal immigrant encounters nationwide," the resolution said, along with "over 7.9 million illegal immigrant encounters at the United States southern border." The U.S. Border Patrol has also reported over 2 million "gotaways" during the administration.

Because the Biden-Harris administration allowed illegal aliens into the country "who have murdered innocent Americans like Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungary, Rachel Morin, and others throughout the United States" and their policies have cost the U.S. "approximately $150.7 billion each year," the passed resolution "strongly condemns the Biden Administration and its Border Czar, Kamala Harris’s, failure to secure the United States border" and "firmly states that the continuation of the Biden, Harris border policies would be disastrous for both the United States and the American people."

Harris has become the presumptive Democrat nominee in the upcoming presidential election after Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed her in a post on X on July 21. She was elected as the first female Vice President in 2020 alongside President Joe Biden. Before being elected as Vice President, Harris served as the District Attorney of San Francisco, the Attorney General of California, and as a U.S. Senator from California.