While House Democrats called the move a "stunt," a group of Republicans held a hearing Thursday in Yuma, Arizona with local officials and those affected by the border crisis. On "Fox & Friends" Friday, Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, slammed Democrats for their "shameful" actions and argued their decision to boycott the hearing is because the border is a "losing argument" for the left.
JORDAN RIPS DEMS FOR SKIPPING ARIZONA BORDER CRISIS HEARING, BLASTS ‘RECKLESS’ BIDEN POLICIES
TROY NEHLS: It didn't surprise me when Jerry Nadler said the Democrats are going to boycott this, because I think this is a losing argument for them. The Democrats don't want to focus on the border. They want to focus on other things. They do not want to focus on the border because the American people are paying attention now. They're sick and tired of it and this was a wonderful 36 hours here in Yuma, Arizona, meeting with Border Patrol officials and obviously sitting down and visiting that hospital of Yuma, Arizona, with the CEO, talking about the $22 million that they have spent on treating these migrants and the issues related to treating those migrants, people coming in with chronic illness, chronic disease. But it's the number of migrants that are coming across here that are pregnant, having children, many of them are not receiving that prenatal care. So the NICU unit is full and so you've got Yuma, Arizona, 125,000 people, women here trying to have children, and there's no room at the inn. So they may have to be transferred and have their children in Phoenix, Arizona, 170 miles away because of the Biden border crisis. Shameful.
Republicans held the hearing in the besieged community with local officials and the CEO of a local hospital that had spent millions on migrant care as part of the GOP pledge to hold hearings at the border.
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., told Fox News in Arizona that the decision not to attend was a "message of disrespect" to the American people.
The Republicans viewed the unfinished border wall, of which construction mostly stopped during the Biden administration, and visited the Yuma Regional Medical Center. Officials there said they have delivered over $26 million in uncompensated care to migrants in a 12-month period — enough to support the salary and benefits of 212 bedside nurses.
Fox News' Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
