The Senate on Wednesday blocked consideration of a bipartisan border and national security bill as Democrats accused Republicans of bowing to President Donald Trump’s political will at the expense of voters.
The vote was 49-50, with 45 Democrats and 4 Republicans supporting the bill. The bill needed 60 votes to begin consideration.
Most in the Republican conference opposed moving forward with the bill, complaining that it does not adequately address needs at the U.S.-Mexico border, where the number of people caught illegally crossing the border is at an all-time high. Five members of the Democratic caucus also voted to block the bill, citing concerns about stricter border security measures and additional funding for Israel’s military during the Gaza conflict.
New York Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer initially supported pushing the bill, but later changed his vote. This is a procedural ploy that would allow the House to revisit the proposal in the future.
With the border deal falling apart, the Senate tried to move forward with another foreign aid package that included only the funding for U.S. allies outlined in the bipartisan bill. There was apparent confusion over the bill’s support, forcing senators to put their first vote on the measure on hold for four hours as they debated the best way forward.
When voting finally concluded Wednesday evening, 58 out of 100 senators were on record in favor of moving the bill forward. However, the bill currently lacks the support needed to pass the Senate, as it requires 60 votes to begin consideration. Schumer took to the Senate floor Wednesday night and announced that the chamber would reconvene Thursday for another vote on the bill.
“We will adjourn until tomorrow, and my Republican colleagues will spend the night doing some soul-searching,” Schumer said. “We’ll be back tomorrow at noon, and we hope that will give Republicans the time they need. This vote will take place tomorrow.”
But it remains highly uncertain whether a foreign aid package without border measures could pass the Senate, which considered a similar proposal in December. Republicans had previously blocked the bill from moving forward, saying it needed to address border issues.
The $118 billion bipartisan bill would give the president new powers to close the border if daily crossers exceed certain limits, while also expediting the asylum review process and allowing many immigrants to move faster. This may have led to deportation. The bill provides $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine, $14 billion in security assistance to Israel, and $10 billion in humanitarian aid to civilians affected by the wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and the West Bank. was scheduled to be provided.
Some far-right Republicans had already indicated they would oppose the standalone bill and wanted more concessions from Democrats on border policy. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said his party’s lawmakers should not approve the bill without “language that conditions Ukraine’s funding on meeting border security standards.”
After newsletter promotion
On Tuesday, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson sought to preempt a potential foreign aid package by holding a vote on a bill that would only provide funding to Israel. The bill was aimed at appealing to far-right Republicans increasingly opposed to Ukraine funds, but the House rejected it on Tuesday night.
In a sharp speech from the White House on Tuesday, Joe Biden blamed the expected failure of the border bill on Trump, who encouraged Republicans to oppose the deal. President Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Monday, saying that the bill would “make the most important border ever completed in time, and hold Republicans accountable for what the radical left Democrats have done to the border.” “It’s nothing more than a very clever trap set up by the government.” Echoing President Trump’s concerns about the impact of passing the bill on the presidential election, some Republicans have suggested that border security should not be addressed until after the November election.
“All signs point to this bill not even making it to the Senate floor. Why? The simple reason is Donald Trump. Because he thinks it’s not good…he’d rather use this as a weapon than actually solve the problem,” Biden said on Tuesday. “Every day from now until November, the American people will learn that the only reason our border is unsafe is because of Donald Trump and his MAGA.” [Make America great again] My Republican friends. ”
