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U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright and more than a dozen other Democratic lawmakers are urging the president to use all tools at his disposal, including executive action, to “restore order” at the southern border.

The Moosic Democrat and 14 of his House colleagues sent President Joe Biden a letter this week describing the current border situation as “untenable” and accusing Republicans of “playing politics on border security.” It followed the collapse earlier this year of a bipartisan border security proposal that presumptive 2024 GOP nominee former President Donald Trump came out hard against.

Senate Republicans rejected in February the bipartisan package, which included foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other allies, at the urging of Trump and amid fierce opposition from many House Republicans. GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson called the proposal “dead on arrival” in the lower chamber that it never reached.

In their letter, Cartwright and other signatories noted their appreciation for Biden’s “good faith efforts” on the bipartisan Senate proposal. But they faulted Johnson and House Republicans with squandering an opportunity to work on a bipartisan basis to secure the border, writing “our House colleagues would rather see the crisis continue and use it as a campaign ad instead of actually addressing this national security issue.”

“It is well past time for both parties to come together and agree on common-sense, bipartisan immigration reforms that both strengthen enforcement at the border and provide a path to citizenship for those who have been living, working, and paying taxes in the United States for many years,” the letter continues. “All of our constituents, no matter our congressional district, have felt the impacts of the current border situation. Communities across the country are grappling with the fentanyl crisis and struggling to find appropriate shelter and services for those seeking asylum.”

The letter also notes Democratic support for nearly $19.6 billion in Customs and Border Protection funding included in the recently passed Fiscal Year 2024 government funding package.

“It has become clear that the current situation remains untenable, but with Republicans playing politics on border security, it is time for your administration to act,” the lawmakers wrote to Biden. “We urge you to use all tools at your disposal, including executive action, to better address security at the Southern border, interdict illicit fentanyl and allow for orderly legal immigration.”

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