Republicans close ranks against Senate border security deal

Senate Republicans are vowing to block a bipartisan border security agreement from moving forward on the floor, three months after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky hailed the pact as a “great success,” reflecting rising partisan tensions in an election year.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York plans to vote Thursday to bring the bill forward, but despite support from the National Border Security Council and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Republican senators still He has not announced that he will vote in favor. Commercial.

McConnell, who helped negotiate a border security package attached to $61 billion in aid to Ukraine earlier this year, said Tuesday that Democrats’ plan to bring the measure back to the floor is a “gift.” And he said it has no chance of passing the Senate or House.

McConnell told Biden during a call on Monday that Republicans do not intend to vote for the border security deal reached with Democrats earlier this year.

Administration officials have said in recent months that they have limited authority to stop border crossings without Congressional action, but instead called on Biden to address the border crisis through executive action.

“I said to him… Mr. President, you created this problem. There is no law that will solve this problem. Why don’t we just do what the previous administration was doing?” McConnell said. He spoke while looking back on his conversation with Mr. Biden.

Republicans point to Biden’s decisions to halt construction of the border wall, expand parole for immigrants entering the country, and end the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy.

The bill’s top Republican negotiator, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), presented Mr. Schumer’s plan for a vote on the border security bill to Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Sherrod. – Mr. Brown (Democrat, Ohio), Mr. Jacky Rosen (Democrat, Nevada), Mr. Bob Casey (Democrat, Pennsylvania).

Lankford said he would vote against moving forward with the bill, reversing his position from February when he was one of only four Republicans to vote in favor of the bill.

“This isn’t about trying to accomplish anything. This time it’s about messaging. This is more about trying to provoke Republicans than actually trying to solve a problem,” Lankford said.

Lankford has not heard from Democrats to resume talks on a bill that would amend U.S. refugee law and give the president emergency border closure powers when the number of migrants crossing the border reaches an average of 4,000 per day. said.

Republicans said they would vote to block the bill from consideration because they don’t expect to get a chance to introduce amendments that would make it stronger.

“They’re just trying to politically protect some incumbents who are on the wrong side of issues for the American people,” said Senate Republican Leader John Thune, SD.

Thune said he expects an overwhelming majority of Republicans to vote to block the bill.

“It would be different if he actually got votes for the amendment, but I think he would block it,” Thune said of Schumer. “This is not a serious attempt to actually discuss this issue. This is actually a political stunt, pure and simple, at this point.”

Three other Republican senators voted to advance the border security deal in early February: Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Mitt Romney (Utah). said he has not decided whether to vote in favor again.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who is challenging Thune for Republican leadership to succeed McConnell at the end of the year, urged his GOP colleagues to oppose it.

“It’s a joke, a bad joke,” he said, insisting that securing the border is “something Biden can do.” [his] Own.”

“I don’t think he would enforce a new law even if he passed one, having rejected existing laws,” he said.

Schumer has accused his Republican colleagues of following the lead of former President Trump, who earlier this year urged Republican lawmakers to oppose the deal. This is due to his own belief that he wants to keep the border issue a key issue heading into Election Day.

“Let’s not forget that when this bill was being negotiated, Majority Leader McConnell also supported this effort. did. [foreign aid] It’s complementary,” Schumer said.

“This is the same bipartisan bill that both sides spent months negotiating this winter,” he said. “Strong, tough and realistic.

“This is the same bipartisan bill pushed by Republicans and rescinded at President Trump’s order.” [and] I turned around and voted against it,” he claimed.

The biggest drama heading into Thursday’s vote may be how many Democrats oppose a border security deal that has little chance of passing and doesn’t involve aid to Ukraine or Israel.

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), who voted against the border security deal in February, said he plans to vote against it again, joining traditional calls for border security measures and reforms to support immigration. He pointed out that this was contrary to the Democratic Party’s position. .

“I’m not voting,” he said. “Questions and concerns about what is in the bill. What is not in the bill is a bigger problem.

“Some of us [Democratic] My colleagues who supported this package a few months ago did so because it was the price to pay for getting funding to Ukraine, but that is no longer the case. This is by no means a small difference. ”

“The most troubling thing is that it’s not in the bill,” he added. “Not a single Dreamer is being helped. Not a single farm worker is getting any relief or protection. Long-term residents of the United States who happen to be in the U.S. illegally are not being helped here. It cannot be used as a starting point.”