Cornyn: Obama 'Needs Wake-Up Call' About Border Crisis

President Obama needs to visit the border during his fundraising trip to Texas this week and get a “wake-up call,” according to Texas Republican John Cornyn.

“I think the problem speaks for itself when the President — who would prefer to hang out with campaign donors and other political supporters — would decide not to have any interaction with those that are directly affected by his failed policies, in this case the failed immigration policies that lead to a full blown humanitarian crisis,” Cornyn said Monday on the Senate floor, calling on Obama to “step up.”

President Obama is scheduled to visit Texas this week for fundraisers but is not planning to visit the southern border — which has seen a massive increase in illegal immigration by unaccompanied children and family units. 

“It would take the president less than an hour on Air Force One to visit the border and to see what I, and so many of my colleagues have seen first hand. A very sad situation that could have been prevented, but now that it’s happened it needs to be addressed in a bipartisan way,” Cornyn said. 

The Texas Republican, who visited McAllen, Texas last week, described his sadness at seeing and hearing the plight of the children who have travelled northward with dangerous cartels. 

He added that he is incredulous that Obama will ask Congress for billions of dollars and changes to the law to take on the border crisis, “and then to simply be missing in action when it comes to learning for himself the very facts that are necessary for him to be able to make the case, not only to Congress, but to the American people, for why both of those are necessary.” 

Obama is expected to make a pitch to Congress Tuesday for more than $2 billion to confront the ongoing humanitarian crisis at the border. 

White House Press Sec. Josh Earnest told reporters Monday that the White House is “not worried” about the “optics” of Obama not visiting the border during his fundraising trip, instead pointing to recent visits by high level administration officials to the area.