Rep. Stefanik rejects claims of division in GOP, accuses Democrats of ‘creating crises across this country’

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who leads the House Republican Conference, has played down reports which hint that more conservative members in the chamber feel underappreciated by other members of the GOP, and she took aim at the media and Democrats for making these claims “trying to divide us.”

“We are united, the House Republicans,” Stefanik told Fox News Sunday, adding that all members are welcome to contribute to the party’s agenda.

Stefanik also rejected arguments from Democrats that the party’s new “Commitment to America” agenda, which was released recently, does not have come with a comprehensive plan.

“There are ample details,” she said, going on to say that the agenda plan outlines proposals that will reduce inflation by making cuts to government spending, decreasing energy costs and introducing bills that support a parental bill of rights, law enforcement and removing the need for 87,000 new IRS agents, which was part of President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.

Democrats, said Stefanik, have no plan but are “attacking us because they have created crises across this country.” 

Stefanik also defended recent actions by Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) to transport migrants to Democrat-led cities and states, which include New York City, Washington D.C., and Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.

Stefanik’s remarks followed criticism by House Democratic Caucus chair Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who told GOP lawmakers to “start behaving like governors and stop behaving like human traffickers.”

“Hakeem Jeffries should start acting like a leader rather than a partisan hack,” Stefanik said in response, while blaming the situation at the border and the growth of immigration issues as being “the result of Joe Biden’s failure” after “we had the most secure border” under former President Donald Trump. 

“We know the policies that work, build the wall and catch and release,” she said. “Republicans will absolutely work to secure the border.”

She added that there were “significant inroads” made under Trump, but illegal crossings have “skyrocketed under Joe Biden.”

“We were addressing the crisis and that has unraveled since Day 1 under Joe Biden, creating this crisis,” she said. “The American people know that, and they will hold Democrats accountable for this [in] November.”