Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.S.C.) said Sunday that he feels “very optimistic” about the House Bipartisan Caucus’ $66 billion foreign aid plan for Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific, which includes It said border security measures were also included.
“I don’t want to wait. I want to act now,” Graham told CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “I want to turn the aid package into a loan. That makes perfect sense to me. And I think a bipartisan group of problem solvers has an idea that will sell.”
Graham added that it “makes perfect sense” depending on how the bill is written.
“I’ve been on the phone with my colleagues in the House all weekend saying there’s a path forward on the border and on Ukraine, so I’m feeling very optimistic,” he said.
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Sen. Lindsey Graham, R.S., speaks with reporters about aid to Ukraine at the Capitol on Thursday, March 10, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
30 pages housing proposalThe bill, announced Friday, comes as Republican lawmakers have completely ruled out the Senate’s $95 billion aid package, which Graham voted against, has any chance of passing.
The bill is aimed at curbing the flow of migrants at the southern border as authorities struggle to respond to the crisis. It re-enforces former President Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, which requires asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while awaiting their court hearings and also forces migrants into detention centers or other prohibits the use of federal funds for transportation between locations. Required to process immigration cases.
“I think this is the best combination,” Graham said of the proposal. “Let’s turn it into a loan. If we do that, I think we can get President Trump to cooperate in terms of aid.”
Graham’s vote last week against the Senate’s foreign aid package came as a surprise to experts, as he has historically been a hardliner on defense funding. His vote comes after President Trump floated the idea of classifying foreign aid as loans on his Truth social account and directed House Republicans to reject a bipartisan border deal that failed in the Senate. I was disappointed.
But while the South Carolina Republican agreed with Trump on the funding, he said “with all due respect, we cannot wait” on securing the border.
“This is a national security nightmare,” he said.
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Two SUVs were seen stopping at the U.S. southern border near Jacumba, California, and dropping off dozens of immigrants who had entered the country illegally. (Bud Knapp/FOX Nation)
Mr. Graham’s appearance on “Face the Nation” came days after he visited the southern border with his state colleague, Sen. Tim Scott (R.S.C.).
“Without changes to Remain in Mexico, the bipartisan Senate bill falls woefully short of the task at hand.Everyone we spoke with said that a return to Remain in Mexico is a key component to solving the problem. ” Graham wrote in the Eagle’s X. Friday in Pass, Texas. “I encourage all my colleagues to come and listen and learn.”
The bill includes $47.7 billion in military defense assistance for Ukraine against Russia, $10.4 billion for Israel and $4.9 billion for U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific.
The bill, called the Border Defense and Defending Democracy Act, is sponsored by Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania) and Jared Golden (R-Maine).
Fitzpatrick wrote in a letter to Dear Colleagues on Monday that unlike the Senate bill, which included humanitarian aid to Gaza, the House bill “limits advance foreign assistance proposals to critical military necessities for Ukraine and Israel. “There is,” he claimed.
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President Biden (right) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visit St. Michael’s Cathedral during the Russian attack on Ukraine on February 20, 2023 in Kiev, Ukraine. (Reuters/Gleb Galanich)
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“Congress is responsible for enacting the laws that control our borders, providing the resources to enforce those laws, and overseeing the federal agencies responsible for enforcement. is wrong and the border crisis is too important to wait more than eight months for election results,” the letter said.
“We can meet our obligations by passing this bill that restores expulsion powers and by amending the Immigration and Nationality Act to make “remain in Mexico” a requirement, not an option. and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Reaffirm order and control at the border.”
