Former Vice President Mike Pence vowed Sunday to ‘clean house on the whole top floor’ of the Department of Justice if he is elected president in 2024.

Pence, who is seeking the Republican Party’s nomination for president, said he knows firsthand what it’s like to be treated unfairly by the DOJ due to what conservatives believe is political bias.

‘I mean, it started in 2016, when James [Comey] gave Hillary Clinton a pass, right, that no other American would have gotten,’ he argued. ‘But then what we found out since is the truth about what was going on during the Mueller investigation.’

‘You know, I lived through that for two and a half years when we were busy rebuilding our military, cutting taxes, unleashing American energy, securing our border, all the while we actually had FBI agents that were falsifying documents and pushing a political agenda within the Justice Department,’ he continued.

‘It’s one of the reasons why I tell people that if I have the privilege of being president of the United States, we’re not just gonna have a new attorney general and a new FBI director, Chuck, but I’m gonna clean house on the whole top floor of the Justice Department and demand that we have men and women who are respected on both sides of the aisle as people of integrity who will apply the rule of law in this country equally to every American,’ he added.

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday appointed U.S. Attorney David Weiss as special counsel in the federal investigation into Hunter Biden. Republicans immediately criticized Garland’s selection of Weiss, who led the prosecution in Hunter Biden’s tax and gun charges that conservatives blasted as too lax.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., called Garland’s announcement ‘part of the Justice Department’s efforts to attempt a Biden family coverup in light of [House Oversight Republicans’] mounting evidence of President Biden’s role in his family’s schemes selling ‘the brand’ for millions of dollars to foreign nationals.’

Pence on Sunday placed less confidence in the special counsel’s probe of Hunter Biden than the investigation currently led by House Republicans.

‘I think Joe Biden has weakened America at home and abroad, but frankly, the pattern of the Justice Department during our four years in the White House and since has undermined public confidence in equal treatment under the law,’ Pence said. 

‘And while I welcome the appointment of a special counsel, which is of course appropriate and is a minimum where the attorney general has a potential conflict of interest, I’m also comforted by the fact that Congress is going to continue to do its work,’ he said. ‘I’m confident that House Republicans are going to continue to bring forward the facts in this case. The American people have a right to know whether or not President Biden’s family benefited or that he himself benefited when he was serving in the job that I had as vice president of the United States in a financial way from foreign nationals.’

Pence is polling in fourth place in the GOP primary with 5.2% of the vote, behind Vivek Ramaswamy at 6.1%, Ron DeSantis at 15.1%, and former President Donald Trump as the clear front-runner with 54.2%, according to the RealClearPolitics national average.

Hunter Biden’s legal team still maintains that a trial is ‘not inevitable’ and the president’s son could still negotiate a plea agreement.

Attorney Abbe Lowell made the statement Sunday morning during an appearance on CBS’ ‘Face the Nation.’ Lowell told host Margaret Brennan that he was still working to ‘avoid’ a trial for Hunter.

Brennan highlighted comments from the U.S. attorney in the case stating that a trial is ‘in order’ due to an impasse on plea negotiations, but Lowell downplayed the statement.

‘When you do not have a resolution and somebody pleads not guilty, as Hunter did, then two things happen: The judge could put together a scheduling order, the end of which would be a trial. There’d be discovery and motions, etc. So that’s why that statement was made,’ Lowell said.

‘So it’s not inevitable?’ Brennan asked.

‘It’s not inevitable,’ he said, adding that ‘we were trying to avoid [a trial] all along, and so were the prosecutors who came forward to us and were the ones to say can there be a resolution short of a prosecution.’

The interview came just days after the Justice Department appeared to indicate that a trial was imminent in a Friday filing in Delaware.

‘At the hearing on July 26, 2023, the Defendant did not plead guilty and therefore did not waive venue,’ the Justice Department’s filing reads. ‘After the hearing, the parties continued negotiating but reached an impasse. A trial is therefore in order. And that trial cannot take place in this District because, as explained, venue does not lie here.’

Hunter’s legal team must respond by Monday, and Lowell’s statements to ‘Face the Nation’ may be the first clue as to their strategy.

Hunter was expected to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax as part of a deal to avoid jail time on a felony gun charge before the plea deal collapsed.

DES MOINES, Iowa – Former President Donald Trump may not show up at the first Republican presidential primary debate, but that doesn’t bother North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.

The multi-millionaire former software company CEO turned two-term governor who’s a dark horse for the 2024 GOP nomination said in a one-on-one interview with Fox News Digital as he walked through the Iowa State Fair that ‘we’re looking forward to the debate. We’re excited to be there, and we’re excited regardless of who shows up.’

Burgum is one of eight candidates (so far) who have met the Republican National Committee’s criteria to make the debate stage at the Fox News hosted showdown on August 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. That list also includes Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and entrepreneur and best-selling author Vivek Ramaswamy.

‘It’s obviously an opportunity for us,’ Burgum said in his Friday interview,’ because…of the eight candidates who’ve made the stage, we’re the least well know. By definition that gives us the most upside. And part of that is – we’ve already defied the odds because when we launched people said he’ll never make the debate stage. People said you could never build a global software company in Fargo, North Dakota. People said we would never get elected governor when we were down 60 points six months before the primary. So, we like our position, and we are looking forward to the debate.’

Burgum’s not well known outside his home state of North Dakota and has been running a positive campaign to date, as he introduces himself to voters.

 Asked if he’ll have to eventually throw some punches, the governor said ‘people don’t know who we are and I think people need to find out who we are, what we’ve done, what our vision is for the country. Presidential campaigns need to be about the future, not about the past. If it gets down to two people, then that would be the time to create differentiation but in the meantime, we’ve just got to keep telling our story.’

But Burgum was apparently critical of some of his rivals, questioning whether they had the experience needed to serve as president.

‘I think one of the criteria for running for president ought to be some of your relevant experience,’ he emphasized.

And Burgum pointed to those candidates who ‘haven’t had an opportunity to work in an executive branch role, which is what the presidency is, that would include people being governor, or if you haven’t worked in the private sector.’

‘I think a lot of Americans would look forward to having president who understands what working Americans are actually going through and what it takes to make payroll every two weeks, what I’ve been doing since I was 26 years old. And what it means to cut you own pay to make sure you’ve got enough money to pay people that are working for you,’ Burgum stressed. ‘These are things that I think are prerequisites and we’re counting on the voters to understand that.’

A member of the White House press corps has filed a lawsuit against White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and the Secret Service, alleging they wrongfully revoked his press badge.

In his suit filed Thursday, African journalist Simon Ateba argues that the White House policy for revoking press access violates the First and Fifth Amendments of the Constitution. President Biden’s White House announced new rules in May that – for the first time – allowed for rescinding a press badge.

‘Defendants violated Mr. Ateba’s First Amendment rights by changing the criteria for hard pass credentials to intentionally prevent Mr. Ateba from obtaining hard pass access,’ the lawsuit reads.

‘Defendants did so by adopting credentialing criteria specifically designed to exclude Mr. Ateba from eligibility. Such discrimination amounts to a content-based regulation and viewpoint discrimination against Mr. Ateba in violation of the First Amendment,’ it continues.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Ateba says his press pass expired on July 31, and he has not been able to renew it. There are currently 975 reporters with White House hard passes. Hard passes allow journalists to come and go from the White House briefing room and press area freely.

Reporters without hard passes must contact the White House to obtain a day pass for a specific date.

Ateba, who works for Today News Africa, has been at the center of several briefing room blowups. The journalist lashed out at Jean-Pierre during a March 20 briefing when the White House was playing host to the celebrity cast of ‘Ted Lasso.’

Ateba’s main complaint at the time was that he had been unable to ask a question in seven months. The reporter has repeatedly said the White House has discriminated against him and other reporters.

‘This is not China. This is not Russia. What you are doing, you’re making a mockery of the First Amendment,’ Ateba said at the time.

Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, ridiculed the agreement orchestrated by the Biden administration for Iran to release five Americans in exchange for $6 billion in assets and jailed Iranians. 

‘Reagan said trust but verify. I have to use the word naïveté,’ McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said during an appearance on ‘Fox News Sunday.’

‘Look I want to get these Americans home more than anybody. And one of them is a critical asset,’ McCaul said. ‘I agree with that, but we have to go in eyes wide open; $6 billion that is now going to go into Iran and prop up their proxy war terror operations, and their nuclear bomb aspirations. They are now starting to talk about the JCPOA all over again, which in my judgment leads down a course to a legal nuclear bomb in Iran. Prime Minister Netanyahu came out strongly against this. I think we’re going back to the mistakes of the past.’ 

McCaul also referenced how the State Department placed President Biden’s envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, on unpaid leave in June amid a review into his security clearance. 

‘Our special envoy to Iran to negotiate the JCPOA is under investigation for mishandling classified information,’ McCaul said. ‘He has the most sensitive information as our top negotiator to Iran and to the ayatollah, now under investigation for mishandling classified information – very troubling story.’ 

Later on the same program, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., defended the prisoner swap agreement, arguing that the billions of funds would be controlled by Qatar. 

Iran has moved five Iranian Americans from prison to house arrest in exchange for billions of dollars frozen in South Korea, U.S. and Iranian officials said Thursday, as part of a tentative deal that follows months of heightened tensions between the two countries. Iran acknowledged that the deal involves $6 billion to $7 billion that were frozen as a result of sanctions. Iranian officials said the money would be transferred to Qatar before being sent on to Iran if the agreement goes through.

The final transfer of the money – and the release of the five detainees – is expected in the next month or so due to the complicated nature of the financial transactions, officials said.

In a statement Friday, Iran’s Ministry if Foreign Affairs said, ‘The decision on how to utilize these unfrozen resources and financial asserts lies with the Islamic Republic of Iran.’ The statement ran counter to the claim that the money would only be released by Qatar to Iran for specific purposes.

Fox News host Shannon Bream noted critics of the agreement said it amounts to an exorbitant ransom payment. 

‘But again, it’s not,’ Smith said. ‘Where were those real concerns during the Trump administration when money from a bunch of other countries was being transferred to Iran no strings attached, no prisoners returned? It just doesn’t seem like a legitimate complaint based on the facts of the situation.’ 

‘That’s a fundamental misunderstanding of what this money is,’ Smith argued, pushing back against former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s criticism that the deal would mean placing a bounty on Americans’ heads. ‘It’s not a bounty because we’re not paying the money. It’s Iran’s money that was sitting in South Korea.’

‘Withheld under sanctions,’ Bream interjected, adding clarification. Smith further stated, ‘It’s not a bounty.’ 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

FIRST ON FOX: 2024 presidential candidate Will Hurd is calling for the U.S. to treat cartels and human smugglers like terrorist organizations, as part of a border strategy ‘reboot’ to tackle the ongoing crisis at the southern border.

‘I represented a district that covered the U.S.-Mexico border, so I know first-hand the challenges we face at the border,’ the former congressman says, in a plan obtained first by Fox News Digital. ‘Politicians love to talk about the border crisis, but their inaction on both sides of the aisle speaks louder than their sound bites.’

Hurd’s strategy leads with a plan to treat cartels, human smugglers and drug traffickers like terrorist groups like al Qaeda.

‘I hunted terrorists in the Middle East. We should be hunting them at our borders using the full capabilities of the intelligence community to dismantle their networks in Mexico and the Northern Triangle. We must treat the cartels the same way we treated the Taliban and Al Qaeda: as terrorist organizations that pose a direct national security threat to Americans.’

The U.S. has been facing a years-long migrant crisis at the southern border, which has been exacerbated by the control of Mexican cartels who control much of the Mexican side of the border and facilitate the smuggling of not only migrants but also deadly drugs like fentanyl.

Illicit fentanyl has been at the heart of the opioid epidemic in the U.S. which kills tens of thousands of Americans each year. The drug, which can be fatal in tiny doses and is 50-100 times more potent than morphine, is primarily produced in Mexico using Chinese precursors and then smuggled across the land border.

So far Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have seized 22,000 lbs of the drug so far this fiscal year, compared to 14,000 lbs in FY 2022, and 10,000 lbs in FY ’21. Hurd notes both the deaths in the U.S. and the increased profits of drug cartels, and calls for smuggling of such drugs to be treated like weapons of mass destruction.

‘The smuggling of illegal drugs like opioids must face penalties equivalent to those imposed on terrorists who manufacture, possess, or use a weapon of mass destruction against our citizens,’ he said. 

As well as punishments for those looming at the border, Hurd wants better security at both the southern and northern borders — and notes his past advocacy for the use of sentry towers at the borders.

‘I understand first-hand the need to harness new technology to secure each mile of our border. Further, we must audit the natural impediments that make visual detection more difficult, invest in current points of entry to shore up infrastructure, create new ports of entry to alleviate congestion and enhance security scans, and shore up partnerships with state and local law enforcement through greater investments in Operation Stonegarden,’ he said, referring to a federal grant program for local law enforcement. 

The final part of his plan is to address ‘root causes’ of migration, calling for existing foreign aid programs to target violence, lack of economic opportunity and poverty in those countries from which migrants are coming to the U.S. 

‘It’s a fraction of the cost to solve problems there before they show up here,’ he says. 

The plan is the latest 2024 rollout by the Republican presidential field, where the border and the migrant crisis are looking to remain top issue as numbers of both migrants and fentanyl seizures remain high. 

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., recently visited the border and pledged to finish wall construction. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has promised to ‘stop the invasion’ if elected to the White House, while former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has also released her own sweeping border and immigration plan.

Former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, visited the border last month and viewed wall construction that began during his administration but was canceled by the Biden administration.

President Biden has repeatedly defended his son Hunter amid a wave of legal troubles, saying multiple times that he was confident his son has done ‘nothing wrong’ prior to the Justice Department’s appointment of a special counsel to further investigate the matter.

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday appointed U.S. Attorney David Weiss as special counsel in the Hunter Biden probe, as well as any other matters that may arise from that investigation.

Weiss is the federal prosecutor who has investigated the business dealings of Hunter Biden and brought charges against him in Delaware. His appointment as special counsel indicates that, contrary to Hunter’s defense lawyers’ claims, the Justice Department investigation into Biden’s son is not over.

But Weiss, who many Republicans feel will aide the Biden family in a ‘coverup’ of Hunter Biden’s crimes, announced in July a probation-only plea agreement for Hunter in which he would plead guilty to tax evasion charges. However, U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika, a Trump appointee, rejected the agreement after expressing several concerns over its provisions.

Republicans criticized the agreement as a ‘sweetheart’ deal and have pursued their own investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings, with an eye towards impeaching the president. 

Despite the investigations, Biden, who took office in January 2021, has maintained that his son is innocent.

Then-candidate Biden insisted during a 2020 Democratic presidential primary debate in 2019 that neither he nor his son did anything ‘wrong’ with regard to Hunter’s past work in Ukraine.

‘My son did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong,’ Biden said at the time. ‘I carried out the policy of the United States government, which was to root out corruption in Ukraine, and that’s what we should be focusing on.’

Biden was asked by Fox News in 2020, ‘Are you confident your son Hunter did nothing wrong?’

‘I am confident,’ then-candidate Biden said.

In 2020, he also said that Hunter is ‘the smartest guy I know.’

That same year, in December 2020, Biden told ‘Late Show’ host Stephen Colbert that he and his wife, Jill, had ‘great confidence in our son.’

‘I am not concerned about any accusations that have been made against him. It’s used to get to me. I think it’s kind of foul play, but look, it is what it is,’ Biden said at the time.

This year, he was asked in an MSNBC interview about the ongoing DOJ investigation and how it may impact his presidency.

‘First of all, my son has done nothing wrong. I trust him I have faith in him, and it impacts my presidency by making me feel proud of him,’ Biden said in the May interview.

In June, after the news of the plea emerged, the White House issued a brief statement on the matter.

‘The President and first lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life. We will have no further comment,’ spokesperson Ian Sams said.

Talks between federal prosecutors and Hunter’s defense team subsequently broke down after the government acknowledged that he was still under federal investigation.

Garland confirmed Friday that the investigation is still ongoing. In a press release, the Department of Justice said that Weiss will serve as special counsel ‘for the ongoing investigation and prosecutions referenced and described in United States v. Robert Hunter Biden, as well as for any other matters that arose or may arise from that investigation.’

That language leaves open the possibility that other members of the Biden family, potentially even the president, could be part of this investigation. When asked whether President Biden is being investigated as part of this probe, a Department of Justice official declined to comment.

House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, blasted Weiss’ appointment in a statement issued through a spokesman.

‘David Weiss can’t be trusted and this is just a new way to whitewash the Biden family’s corruption. Weiss has already signed off on a sweetheart plea deal that was so awful and unfair that a federal judge rejected it. We will continue to pursue facts brought to light by brave whistleblowers as well as Weiss’s inconsistent statements to Congress,’ said Jordan spokesman Russell Dye.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman, Chris Pandolfo, Adam Shaw, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A House Democrat is warning artificial intelligence could become a tool of ‘digital colonialism’ if the U.S. doesn’t take steps to work with Western Hemisphere nations to create AI systems that reflect diversity and inclusion.

Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., proposed a resolution during the August break that says the U.S. must champion a ‘regional’ AI strategy that includes Western Hemisphere nations as this new technology is developed.

‘United States-led investments in the development of AI in the Western Hemisphere would promote the inclusion and representation of underserved populations in the global development and deployment of AI technologies, ensuring that no individual country dominates AI but rather collaborative developments in the Western Hemisphere,’ his resolution asserted.

Without naming China, it hints that allowing authoritarian regimes to take the lead on AI standards would only hurt vulnerable populations in the Western Hemisphere.

‘The United States’ future policies for AI governance will have significant implications for the global governance of AI, influencing whether global AI technologies reflect democratic values, inclusivity, and respect for human rights or are influenced by authoritarian practices and norms, including ‘digital colonialism,’ whereby most of the AI advancements utilized by the Western Hemisphere consumers would be developed in, and controlled by, a select few nations located outside of the region,’ it warned.

Espaillat, born in the Dominican Republic, said American efforts to work with the rest of the Western Hemisphere on AI standards would ‘contribute to a more equitable, responsible, and human-centric approach, ensuring the development and deployment of AI technologies that align with democratic principles and societal well-being.’

‘By championing inclusion in AI and investing in AI in the Western Hemisphere, the United States can create a future where AI technologies authentically reflect the multifaceted diversity of our societies, uphold the fundamental human rights that lie at the core of our Constitution, and contribute to the realization of a world that transcends inequalities rather than perpetuates them,’ the resolution said.

‘The Western Hemisphere possesses a wealth of natural resources and a skilled human workforce, making it well-positioned to develop and promote future AI technologies that prioritize safety, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility,’ it added.

It warned more broadly that AI has the potential to be developed in a way that reinforces ‘biases and inequities.’ Others have made the same argument – that AI systems run on data that is either biased or interpreted in a biased way can lead to outcomes that discriminate against what Espaillat and others call ‘marginalized groups.’

Espaillat’s resolution said recent research shows some AI algorithms can worsen ‘race-based disparities,’ such as those used in facial recognition programs.

‘Research conducted by respected institutions such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cornell University, and others has shown that these algorithms exhibit significant accuracy disparities, working more effectively on White faces while frequently misidentifying or failing to recognize brown, Black, Indigenous, and darker skinned faces,’ it warned.

It’s not clear Espaillat’s resolution will get a vote in the GOP-led House where it was introduced. However, the Biden administration has launched several initiatives aimed at developing safe and trustworthy AI systems that avoid biased outcomes as they are used.

Last month, seven major AI developers agreed to a set of White House goals in this area, and the Biden White House has said it is working on more AI guidance.

Far-left ‘Squad’ member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is demanding the Department of Justice target Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas over his relationship with a Republican megadonor and others she claims he benefited from financially.

In a Friday letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Ocasio-Cortez, along with four of her progressive colleagues, called for the DOJ to launch an investigation into Thomas ‘for consistently failing to report significant gifts he received from Harlan Crow and other billionaires for nearly two decades — in defiance of his duty under federal law.’

‘First, Justice Thomas has received numerous undisclosed valuable gifts from Harlan Crow over the course of at least fifteen years, despite certifying repeatedly that his financial disclosure forms are ‘accurate, true, and complete,’ in certifications ‘subject to civil and criminal sanctions,’ the letter read.

The letter cited an April ProPublica investigation that found Thomas’ close friendship with real estate developer Harlan Crow allowed him to accompany the Texas billionaire on luxury vacations on his private jet and yacht, as well as free stays on Crow’s vast vacation property, among other perks.

It went on to accuse Thomas of not recusing himself from cases ‘before the court in which there was potential conflict of interest,’ and later cited other ProPublica investigations about additional gifts Thomas reportedly received from other wealthy individuals.

‘No one is above the law. For two decades, Justice Thomas failed to report millions in gifts. Today, we asked DOJ to investigate Thomas for violating the Ethics of Government Act of 1978. We are joined by Ranking Members [Jerrold] Nadler & [Jamie] Raskin, and Judiciary Members [Ted] Lieu & Hank Johnson,’ Ocastio-Cortez wrote on social media.

In April, Thomas issued a rare statement after the first ProPublica report was published, defending the travel he took with his friends over many years, and explaining that he has always followed Supreme Court guidance.

‘Harlan and Kathy Crow are among our dearest friends, and we have been friends for over twenty-five years,’ Thomas said. ‘As friends do, we have joined them on a number of family trips during the more than quarter-century we have known them.’ 

‘Early in my tenure at the Court, I sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary, and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the Court, was not reportable,’ he added.

Fox News Digital has reached out to a representative of Thomas and the DOJ for comment.

Fox News’ Brianna Herlihy, Shannon Bream and Bill Mears contributed to this report.

More than a dozen House Republicans from Texas have joined Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, in a call for lawmakers to stop funding for the Department of Homeland Security until a number of steps are taken ‘to secure the border,’ as numbers once again increase at the border.

‘Simply put, no member of Congress should agree to fund a federal agency at war with his state and people,’ the fiery letter to colleagues says. ‘We have a moral obligation to protect our states, our nation, and, importantly, the migrant children getting abused from the disaster transpiring at our southern border.’

‘No border security, no funding.’

The letter claims that Texas ‘is bearing the brunt of a national crisis at our southern border directly resulting from the unlawful and irresponsible actions of President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas.’

The letter highlights the ongoing migrant crisis at the southern border, as well as the role of criminal cartels, deaths of migrants and sex-trafficking across the border, as well as the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.

It notes Texas’ own efforts to secure the border in Operation Lone Star, which has seen the surging of resources and law enforcement to tackle the crisis. Most recently the state set up a floating border barrier in the Rio Grande, which was immediately hit by a lawsuit from the Justice Department.

The lawmakers note the House’s passage of a sweeping border security and asylum reform bill passed by the Republican majority earlier this year, but they say the legislation ‘amounts to nothing more than political theater if we are unwilling to use the strongest tool granted to us by the founders – the power of the purse – to force the change necessary to protect Texas and secure the border.

The chamber is in recess but will need to pass a continuing resolution or appropriations measure before funding runs out at the end of September. The lawmakers say that there should be no appropriations for DHS until a number of steps are taken, including the signing into law by President Biden of HR 2, additional policies to allow law enforcement to target cartels, the removal of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and a $10 billion reimbursement of Texas for its own border security efforts.

Roy had made those calls earlier this week after images emerged, reported by Fox News, of armed men crossing into Texas. 

Roy called on Republicans to act and ‘stop funding’ a ‘government that is at war with the people of Texas.’ 

‘We are not going to fund the government that is perpetuating the lawlessness, empowering cartels, allowing fentanyl to kill Americans, and allowing little girls to get raped in stash houses in Texas. Enough! This is our fight, and I’m tired of Republicans who are giving lip service to it and for years have been supporting it because they want cheap labor.’ 

The letter came on the same day as the Biden administration sent a new supplemental funding request, which included $4 billion for border and migration funding.

‘As it relates to the border, the supplemental funding request represents the resource requirements DHS believes are essential to manage the border through the end of the calendar year. Border dynamics are fluid, and the Administration will continue to communicate with Congress as conditions evolve. 

Mayorkas has been at the center of Republican criticism for the ongoing crisis at the border, with critics accusing him of unraveling Trump-era policies, and in the process encouraging the new wave of migrants seen since 2021. Mayorkas has rejected that narrative, instead calling on Congress to approve more funding and to pass legislation to fix a ‘broken system.’ He had also pointed to a drop in numbers in June as a sign that recent policies are working.

‘Our approach to managing the borders securely and humanely, even within our fundamentally broken immigration system, is working,’ Mayorkas told lawmakers last month. 

‘Under President Biden’s leadership, we have led the largest expansion of lawful, safe and orderly pathways for people to seek humanitarian relief under our laws. At the same time, imposing tougher consequences on those who instead resort to the ruthless smuggling organizations that prey on the most vulnerable.’

However, recently there have been signs that numbers have been going back up, with agents encountering around 6,000 migrants a day this week.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Heckman and Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.