https://www.axios.com/2024/02/22/biden-republicans-worse-strom-thurmond-segregationistsPresident Biden said Wednesday that Republicans in Congress are "worse" than prominent Senate Republican segregationists including Strom Thurmond.
Why it matters: The comments mark an escalation in Biden's war of words against Republicans as the GOP-controlled House refuses to hold a vote on a Senate foreign aid bill.
What he's saying: "I've been a senator since '72. I've served with real racists. I've served with Strom Thurmond," Biden said at a fundraiser in San Francisco, according to a White House pool report.
>"But guess what? These guys are worse. These guys do not believe in basic democratic principles," the president continued.
>Biden said Thurmond did "terrible things," but "at least you could work with some of these guys," adding: "Time and again Republicans show they are the party of chaos and division."
State of play: Biden's comments come as Johnson is blocking a vote on a Senate bill to provide military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
>Biden and Johnson's office, in a chilly public exchange this week, both said they are open to meeting on the issue, with a spokesperson for the speaker saying the president "spent the past month denying a 1-on-1 meeting."
>Republicans may also be hurtling towards a government shutdown as House GOP hardliners pressure Johnson not to give in to Democratic demands on spending.