Ron Johnson claims failed border bill was ‘political ploy’ for Schumer

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said in comments broadcast on Sunday that the U.S.-Mexico border bill that was again defeated in the Senate this week was a “political ploy” by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Johnson slammed Schumer for putting the border bill back to a vote, saying Democrats were “trying to gain political cover” over the current situation on the southern border and that the Senate Majority Leader had been “in bad faith” about negotiating on the issue.

“Chuck Schumer is trying to use political cover for his open borders policy, but this is a disaster and a clear and present danger to America,” Johnson said in an interview with radio talk show host John Catsmathidis on WABC 770 AM’s “Cats Roundtable.”

“So he reintroduced the failed bill. […] Johnson continued, “To prove how dishonest he is, in February, after the bill was defeated last time, Chuck Schumer [said] “We are playing chess, they are playing checkers, and we received the Ukrainian bill, and the situation on the border is much better than it was three months ago.”

Johnson also alleged that Schumer did not negotiate in “good faith.”

“If you are negotiating in good faith, […] If the negotiations fail, will you rub it in your negotiating partners the way Chuck Schumer rubbed McConnell’s nose? [in it]… No. So it was not a good faith negotiation.”

The Senate on Thursday again rejected a bipartisan border bill by a 43-50 vote. The bill, which had been negotiated for months by Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), was already expected to fail, but this time with fewer supporters than when it was defeated 49-50 in February.

Lankford, the Republicans’ chief negotiator, called the bill a “prop” before voting against it on Thursday. Schumer had repeatedly said in recent weeks that he wanted to bring the border bill to a vote, to underscore that former President Trump and his allies had blocked it for political purposes and that Democrats wanted to take the lead on the issue.

Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, told Catsimatidis that Biden, who has been criticized by Republicans for his administration’s handling of the issue, has no intention of “securing” the U.S.-Mexico border and that the president is in a “better position” on the issue because he has “political protection.”

“Secondly, if he really wants to secure the border, how can he have the last word,” Johnson said. “Is the Democratic Party in a better position on the border than we were three months ago?” [Their bill] “Didn’t pass! Biden is not going to secure the border. The only reason he’s in a better position is because he got the political protection he wanted. And that’s all he’s doing here. He’s just trying to enforce the political protection he unfortunately got in the negotiations.”