Sunday shows: Biden’s border woes, gun control dominate
by THE HILL STAFF
The border crisis facing the Biden administration continued to be at the forefront of the Sunday political shows in which Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said the president should say sorry to Border Patrol officers for the humanitarian crisis caused by unaccompanied minors being held at the U.S. border with Mexico.
Senators also expressed some promise that gun control legislation could meet a 60-vote threshold in the chamber after two shootings in less than one week killed 18 people combined.
Meanwhile, Deborah Birx, the former COVID-19 response coordinator said in a new interview set to air on CNN Sunday evening that she had an “uncomfortable” conversation with former President Trump after a television interview in August in which she warned of the dire situation when it came to the pandemic.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Sunday that President Biden should “apologize” to Border Patrol agents for the conditions at facilities where the agency is housing thousands of migrant children who arrived at the border unaccompanied by parents or guardians.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday that reporters would gain access in the near future to Border Patrol facilities being used to house unaccompanied minors who migrated to the U.S.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Sunday said he thinks Congress has an opportunity to pass a gun reform bill, citing Republican senators who are interested in compromising on legislation in the days following the two deadly shootings in Georgia and Colorado.
Republican Sen. Pat Toomey (Pa.), a key GOP senator involved in a background check bill after the 2012 shootings at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut, on Sunday suggested that Congress can strike a bipartisan deal on gun reform if the focus remains on background checks for commercial gun sales.
NBC’s Meet the Press host Chuck Todd opened his show on Sunday by ruefully mocking elected officials in both parties for an inability to reach consensus on comprehensive gun reform.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday suggested that the U.S. will not take punitive action on China for its handling of COVID-19, instead saying the government’s focus “needs to be on building a strong system for the future.”
Former COVID-19 response coordinator Deborah Birx said in an interview to air on CNN Sunday that she had an “very uncomfortable” conversation with former President Trump following an television interview last year in which she warned of a dire situation amid the pandemic.
Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease, appeared on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday to explain what he thinks is driving the new COVID-19 cases in the United States.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki indicated Sunday that the Biden administration would pursue two pieces of legislation as part of its push to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure.
“Saturday Night Live” spoofed Ted Cruz and Kamala Harris with “A Kamala Harris Unity Seder” featuring guest host Maya Rudolph playing the vice president.
