President Barack Obama rejected demands from Texas Governor Rick Perry and others that he visit the border where a child migrant crisis is unfolding and said his critics should get behind his request for $3.7 billion if they want to solve the problem, according to The Associated Press.
"Are folks more interested in politics or are they more interested in solving the problem," Obama said he told Perry, the AP reported. "If they are interested in solving the problem then this can be solved. If the preference is for politics then it won't be solved."
Obama visited Texas for the first time since the influx of child migrants from Central America overwhelmed border resources and had talks with Perry aboard his Marine One helicopter and in a group meeting with local officials that Obama called constructive, according to the AP.
In a brief news conference after the meeting, Obama dismissed criticism from Perry, a potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate, that he should personally visit the border region for a first-hand look, the AP reported. "This isn't theater. This is a problem. I'm not interested in photo ops. I'm interested in solving a problem," he said.
Obama is battling political pressure from supporters and opponents alike to halt a growing humanitarian crisis along the Texas border with Mexico, according to the AP.
His request for emergency funds on Tuesday was the most aggressive step by his administration to take care of the children who have come from Central America illegally while accelerating the process to have them deported, the AP reported.
Republicans, who have pressed the White House to do more to tackle the crisis, gave the proposal a wary reception, according to the AP.
"The House is not going to just rubber-stamp what the administration wants to do," said Representative Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, who is a member of Speaker John Boehner's border crisis task force, the AP reported.
Republican Representative Mick Mulvaney criticized the funding request and suggested foreign aid should be docked to pay for it, according to the AP.
"I think it's a charade. I think the president has set it up to make it look as though the only reason he's not enforcing the border is because he doesn't have the money. And that's not accurate," Mulvaney said, the AP reported.
