OAN’s Brooke Mallory
6:23 PM – Wednesday, February 7, 2024
The additional spending deal, which includes funding for Taiwan, Israel and Ukraine, and an ambitious immigration and border security bill that faced strong resistance from Republicans in both chambers failed to be approved by the Senate on Wednesday.
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The vote was 49-50. It needed 60 votes to pass. Voting was largely along party lines, with the exception of five votes against the bill from Democrats and four votes for yes from Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., also voted against the bill, as well as U.S. Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Bob Menendez, as part of the process to allow for later reconsideration. (DN.J.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
Republican senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Susan Collins of Maine, and Mitt Romney of Utah voted in favor.
Lankford, Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Sen. Krysten Sinema (I-Ariz.), and representatives of the Biden administration said until the deal was revealed Sunday night. The deal had been negotiated for several months.
The $118 billion package includes $20 billion to address the historically dire situation on the southern border, $60 billion to Ukraine, $14 billion to Israel, aid to Taiwan, and humanitarian aid to Gaza. Includes relief. This was in response to the White House’s request from Congress for additional cash at the end of the year.
The centerpiece of the border package, “emergency border authorities,” called for expelling illegal immigrants through Chapter 42 methods if the number of immigrants exceeded 5,000 per day on a seven-day rolling average.
It would shorten the time it takes to apply for asylum from years to months, give asylum seekers immediate work permits, and provide funding to significantly increase border staffing and immigration officers. In addition to the green card increase, it also includes $650 million for border wall construction, increased funding for NGOs and host communities, and $450 million for countries to repatriate and resettle illegal immigrants. include.
The package was portrayed by the administration and negotiators as a tough but fair solution to the border crisis, but conservative resistance mounted in the Senate once House Republicans deemed it unworkable.
This week, more than 20 Republicans in the Senate warned that the measure would not curtail the number of undocumented immigrants entering the U.S., which is at a historic high, to return to record levels.
“We supported negotiations that would bring common sense border security to this country,” Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) said Tuesday. “We did not agree to a border fig leaf to send another $61 billion to Ukraine.”
“But the fact is that the package includes catch-and-release, providing additional ongoing incentives for people who enter the country illegally with the knowledge that they will be released inland, and the Biden administration’s parole and It does nothing to stop the abuse of what is called,”’ said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).
Left-wing immigration groups and a handful of liberal Democratic senators also opposed the move, saying it would “hurt asylum seekers.”
Menendez called the action “a blatant betrayal of the communities we are sworn to protect and represent.” After the document was released Sunday night, Kentucky Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday morning that the proposal had little chance of passing.
“Ultimately, even if the product is approved by the U.S. government, [National Border Patrol Council] “Most of our members who are admirers of President Trump feel that it’s impossible to pass any legislation here,” said McConnell, a strong supporter of aid to Ukraine.
Mr. Schumer plans to set up a vote on an additional package without the border security component in the future, but it’s unclear when that will happen. Border and foreign aid packages are now null and void. A majority of Republicans say they will support additional funding to Ukraine only if the southern border is secured.
If the bill passed the Senate, it would very likely also be defeated in the Republican-controlled House. In the House, in addition to clear leadership opposition to the policy, more Democrats opposed it due to concerns about the border security element.
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