Biden used the word “crisis” – a descriptor his administration has avoided since taking office – on Saturday after a round of golf in Wilmington, Delaware, while speaking to reporters.
“We’re gonna increase the numbers. The problem was that the refugee part was working on the crisis that ended up on the border with young people and we couldn’t do two things at once. And now we’re going to increase the numbers,” Biden said.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki made the same distinction later on Monday afternoon.
“The president does not feel that children coming to our border seeking refuge from violence, economic hardships and other dire circumstances is a crisis,” she said.
Psaki added: “He does feel that the crisis in Central America, the dire circumstances that many are fleeing from – that that is a situation we need to spend our time on, our effort on. And we need to address it if we’re going to prevent more of an influx of migrants coming in years to come.”
Republicans pounced on Biden’s shift in terminology and Psaki’s response to it.
“Biden’s Press Secretary Jen Psaki claims Biden does not view border influx as a ‘crisis’ after he called it a ‘crisis’, the Republican National Committee tweeted.
Biden’s Press Secretary Jen Psaki claims Biden does not view border influx as a "crisis" after he called it a "crisis" pic.twitter.com/SjmBUxZrTq
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 19, 2021
“If the White House is looking for new options to replace Biden’s word choice of ‘crisis,’ here are a few alternatives to pick from, 1. Disaster 2. Catastrophe 3. Failure Take your pick. All are accurate,” tweeted Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C.
If the White House is looking for new options to replace Biden's word choice of "crisis", here are a few alternatives to pick from:
1. Disaster
2. Catastrophe
3. FailureTake your pick. All are accurate. https://t.co/1PAoyq7n7W
— Virginia Foxx (@virginiafoxx) April 19, 2021