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‘We’re About Facts Around Here’: Psaki Smacks Down Governor’s Claims After Abbott Attacks Biden for ‘Importing COVID’
Abbott ‘Stalling’ Funds for Testing CNN Reports
Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott is attacking President Joe Biden, falsely claiming he is “importing Covid” by allowing migrant children to enter the country.
“The Biden administration must stop importing Covid into our country,” Abbott told CNBC.
“The Biden administration must stop importing Covid into our country, that is a Neanderthal approach,” @GregAbbott_TX says. He explains why lifting restrictions might seem like a big deal to people in New York, but “it’s not that transformative.” https://t.co/ophUkI79Gl pic.twitter.com/stPC615hlq
— CNBC (@CNBC) March 4, 2021
Abbott also says the Biden administration is “refusing to test” the immigrants, but on Thursday CNN reported Governor Abbott is the one actually causing the problem.
“Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is stalling efforts by the Biden administration to provide federal funds for Covid-19 tests for migrants released from custody.”
Abbott, after announcing on Wednesday he was removing all coronavirus restrictions, including mask mandates, “alleged, without evidence, that migrants coming into Texas are exposing the state’s residents to the coronavirus,” CNN adds.
He also posted this tweet, which is false.
The Biden Administration is recklessly releasing hundreds of illegal immigrants who have COVID into Texas communities.
The Biden Admin. must IMMEDIATELY end this callous act that exposes Texans & Americans to COVID.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) March 3, 2021
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki smacked down Abbott’s claims when asked on Thursday, in a generous and educational manner as only she can.
“That is not factual,” Psaki told a reporter. “We’re about facts around here.”
Psaki went on to tell reporters, “our policy is is to have that [testing] be done, concluded before they are even moved to go stay with family members or others they may know while their cases are being adjudicated.”
As it turns out, Texas, not the federal government, is responsible for testing migrants coming into the country. The federal government, as Psaki explained, partners with the states and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) to pay to get that done.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki responded to Gov. Greg Abbott’s false claim that Biden is importing COVID into Texas, “We are about facts around here, that is not factual.” Psaki also said that Texas is supposed to be testing migrants for COVID. pic.twitter.com/Gh9mbgmCtc
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 4, 2021
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