GOP senators wrestle over border deal in face of House opposition

Senate Republicans are grappling with the question of whether to move forward with a polarizing Ukraine funding and border security policy, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) warning it probably won’t even get a vote in the House. are doing.

Former President Donald Trump, the likely Republican presidential nominee, strongly opposed the bipartisan border deal in the Senate, and Johnson said any deal in the House was likely to stall. But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has no intention of giving up on the deal put together by his hand-picked chief negotiator, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) .

Senate Republicans debated what to do Wednesday at a controversial luncheon at the Capitol, but conservatives such as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) weighed in on opposition from President Trump and House Republicans. He then argued that it would be “stupid” to continue pushing the bill. leaders.

“This is an absolutely stupid proposal. It is clear that there is no path forward for this bill to pass. The Speaker has made it clear that the Senate bill is null and void on arrival in the House. So I, my colleagues, “He divided the Republican conference, united all the Senate Democrats, and asked them why they were pushing a bill that had zero chance of passing,” Cruz said, detailing his claims over lunch.

He added, “Functionally, this bill, first, does nothing to actually secure the border, but second, it sends a message to Democrats that they are blaming Republicans for border chaos.” I think it is,” he added.

Mr. Cruz’s argument was fueled by Mr. Johnson, who denounced the Senate proposal on the House floor Wednesday and told House Republican colleagues in a meeting Tuesday that there was no way the proposal could advance in the chamber. .

Senate Republican leader John Thune acknowledged that border security plans are losing support among Republicans in the Senate, according to two Republican officials familiar with the discussions.

“He repeated exactly what Mitch said.” [last week] This politics is different. He said he wants to get 25 to 30 Republicans. We don’t have that,” the Republican senator said, summing up Thune’s comments.

Another person familiar with internal discussions said Thun had “acknowledged that he currently lacks the vote on the border deal” and acknowledged that the border deal faces a very tough path in the House of Commons. said.

Several Republican senators at the meeting said there was a discussion about how President Trump, who has repeatedly urged Republicans to reject border deals, wields significant power in the Republican-controlled House. Stated.

Another Republican senator said, “Mr. Thune said that Trump may not have a lot of influence over the Senate, but he certainly has a lot of influence over the House of Representatives.” I remember that,” he said.

Some Republican senators have pushed back on Cruz’s criticism, saying Congress needs to do something to stem the flow of migrants at the border, even if it’s not all that House Republicans want. are doing.

“There are a lot of groups that are criticizing it, not just President Trump, but they’re shadow boxing with people they don’t know yet. Once the negotiations pass and the text is proposed, people will see the plain text. This will prove beneficial,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, RN.C., who has been involved in the negotiations.

Other Republican senators insisted that McConnell and Thune have no intention of walking away from the package, which includes both Ukraine funding and border security reform, despite no clear path to passage in the House. .

Sen. Mike Rounds (R.S.D.) said he wants to pass a domestic asylum reform bill and has not given up on it.

“Once they receive the text, people will be able to get good information instead of the misinformation that is out there right now. “You can start forming an opinion,” he says. “Based on everything, [lead GOP negotiator] James Lankford has been able to share with us so far and I think the majority of the conference will be collaborative, but only time will tell. ”

The goal of bipartisan Senate talks from the beginning has been a bill to fund Ukraine and address the border crisis that garners support from a majority of Republican senators in hopes of giving it enough political momentum in the House. was to submit.

The bill’s prospects of attracting 25 Republican votes in the Senate now look slim, raising the possibility that Republicans will abandon the effort altogether.

McConnell predicted weeks ago that the Senate would take up the bill soon, but on Wednesday he hedged when asked if he would still move forward with a border security bill that lacks support from at least half of the chamber. did.

“It was certainly difficult to reach an agreement on the border issue,” he acknowledged. “I always thought this was going to be a difficult issue, and it was, but it’s time to move something, including a border agreement. But we need support for Israel and Ukraine.”

Asked if he would support moving forward with a package on funding for Ukraine and border security if half of the chamber doesn’t support it, McConnell said: “I’m not sure how it will be presented in the end. I don’t know.”

“Let’s see what the final package looks like,” he said.

McConnell declined to comment on President Trump’s strong opposition to the bill or how it could affect Republicans in Congress.

But he acknowledged this was an “incredibly challenging political debate.”

“I’m still in favor of enacting legislation if we can,” he said, arguing that “what Sen. Lankford and his team are producing is an improvement over current law.”

Senate Republicans adopted a nonbinding resolution introduced by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) during lunch Wednesday, allowing the Senate Republican conference to consider any supplemental spending bill that includes border provisions and make amendments. He said he opposes moving forward without “sufficient time” to submit a submission.

The resolution was adopted by a show of hands. Eleven Republicans, including McConnell, voted against the bill.

Republican senators have not yet decided how much time is “appropriate” to consider a complex bill. Lee last week proposed giving senators at least three weeks to consider the bill.