White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday urged senators to pass a border security bill scheduled for a vote this week after Republicans blocked it earlier this year.
“This bipartisan border legislation will bring the significant policy changes, resources and personnel needed to secure our borders and make our country safer,” Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
He said the bill would ease the situation at the border by funding thousands of additional Border Patrol agents, investing in technology to catch fentanyl and targeting drug traffickers, and reducing the backlog of asylum cases. He cited the addition of asylum and immigration officers, which could help. .
“We strongly support this bill and call on all senators to put aside partisan politics and vote to secure our borders,” Jean-Pierre said.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York announced Sunday that the Senate will take up the bipartisan border agreement as a standalone measure this week.
Opposition on both sides will almost certainly kill the vote, but Democratic leaders could flip a switch on their message to Republicans as the noise on the campaign trail crosses the border.
The bill was negotiated by Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Kyrsten Sinema (Arizona). President Biden has previously supported the bill, calling it a strong compromise in which neither side gets everything it wants.
A majority of Republicans in the conference earlier this year voted against moving forward with the bill, after former President Trump urged Republican lawmakers to oppose it, suggesting it would be a political victory for Biden. did.
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