As House Republican leaders solidify their opposition to a rumored Senate border compromise deal, Senate Republicans are divided over what to do next.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has expressed his desire to pass some legislation, carefully avoiding the hostility of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to the bill. I confirmed my wish.
“It is important to highlight another rationale for the supplement. [we have] Two friends in the middle of a big fight. Israel, Ukraine – they need help. ” McConnell told reporters Wednesday..
“We hope that this border issue can be resolved satisfactorily.”
Mr. McConnell also lavished praise on the Republican chief negotiator, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.). He has come under fire from Republicans in the House and home state over the reported deal.
McConnell said Lankford responded privately to questions from his Senate Republican colleagues early Wednesday morning.
The language of the bill negotiated by Lankford, Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (R-Ariz.) has not yet been finalized and made public, but the Post confirmed it last week. This is shown in the summary. The bill would create the power to automatically deny immigrants attempting to enter the United States if they cross more than 5,000 times in a day.
Former President Donald Trump called on Republicans to denounce the deal, calling it a “horrible open border betrayal of America.”
“Of course it’s not betrayal. We have to be able to deal with legal issues.” Lankford told CNN. When asked about the 45th president’s remarks.
“Does he have access to that bill?” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) asked CNN in response to President Trump. “It hasn’t been released. How do you know it’s a betrayal if you haven’t read it? … I mean, don’t be ignorant.”
But President Trump is not alone in expressing disappointment.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson criticized the package in an impassioned speech in the House of Commons, saying: “From what we’ve heard, this so-called deal doesn’t actually have the transformative benefits needed to stop a border catastrophe.” It does not include significant policy changes.”
“That’s madness. Something bigger than zero. [crossings] Abandoning our borders, abandoning our sovereignty and security. ”
The White House says President Trump is trying to block a compromise bill that would steal President Biden’s victory ahead of the Nov. 5 election, as voters give Democrats a bad rating on the border crisis in numerous polls. denounced.
Some Senate Republicans appear to agree with this assessment.
“Just to be clear, it was Republicans who told Democrats months ago that if they wanted to get money to Ukraine, they needed to address the border issue. This is what we asked for. ”Senator Lisa Murkowski told a HuffPost reporter. “Let’s do what we ask.”
“I think the border is a very important issue for Donald Trump,” said Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah). I filed a complaint with CNN last week.. “And the fact that he’s telling Republican senators and representatives that he doesn’t want them to solve the border issue because he wants to blame Biden on the border issue is really scary.”
More conservative Senate Republicans have taken a strong stance against compromise.
“As bad as we think this bill is, I promise you, it’s worse.” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said last week.. “This amendment bill is a kamikaze plane headed for a train wreck in a box canyon with no exit.”
“James Lankford is smart, hard-working, and aware of the issues. He’s on a suicidal mission,” said Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.). told Fox News This week it’s digital. “If you can’t force Biden to secure the border, just close the border.”
Meanwhile, Murphy has publicly predicted that the deal could be voted on by the full Senate as early as next week.
The bill needs at least nine Republican votes to overcome the filibuster. If the bill passes the Senate, it would need to pass the House, a proposal that looks increasingly unlikely unless Democrats and moderate Republicans work together.
Meanwhile, the crisis at the southern border continues to break records.
More than 2.47 million migrant encounters were recorded along the Mexican border during the 2023 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
An additional 302,034 illegal border crossers were arrested in December.
