As negotiators hope to finalize work on a deal within days, members on both sides are concerned that former President Trump is trying to scrap the border agreement to deny President Biden a victory in Congress. I'm upset.
Mr. Trump was a sleeping giant behind the negotiations, but in addition to his victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, his latest statement The Senate's path forward is complicated by calls for Republicans to oppose any border policy that falls short of HR2.
Lawmakers have said they fear breaking the deal would be costly given the situation at the border and in Ukraine.
“If politics got in the way of this, if there was Donald Trump who wanted to help his friend.” [Russian President Vladimir Putin] Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) told reporters that she maintains relations with Ukraine and wants the border to remain a major issue, but if it becomes widespread, It's going to be a really bad attitude towards all of this,” he told reporters.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) called the effort “appalling.”
“But the reality is, there's a crisis at the border, Americans are suffering as a result of what's happening at the border, and I think anybody running for president is going to say, 'Hey, what about this?' You should try to solve the problem instead of “save the problem.'' Don't settle. Give me credit for solving it later,” he told CNN's Manu Raju.
But Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said this could backfire on the former president and cause “resentment” among Senate Republicans who want to support the final deal. I think it's sexual.
Border negotiations have been ongoing since before Thanksgiving, but began in earnest in mid-December when White House and Biden administration officials became involved, something Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) had previously publicly called for. did.
This thrust the fight into the heart of the Republican primary season.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) speaks to reporters before a closed-door Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing with Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Capitol, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. (Greg Nash)
With the bill nearing completion and President Trump on the verge of defeating former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R), the former president's conservative allies in the Senate are effectively trying to kill the border package. . Future aid to Ukraine.
Republican senators who are more open to the Senate bill worry that the political winds could blow against them.
“Perhaps this administration is sensing the enthusiasm of people back home who are saying this is the biggest problem for the American people. This is clearly an issue that has to be addressed, and this has to be addressed.” He has very little chance of being re-elected,” said Sen. Mike Rounds (R.S.D.).
“I think sometimes this politics gets confused with what's best for our country. Politics will suggest that you allow [Biden] Just by boiling his oil on this particular subject, it's going to be a lot easier for anyone to beat him in a general election on something as serious as the border issue,” Lowndes continued. “[We] Please understand how serious this is for our country, and the precedent this should set is to do what is right for our country, and that is to protect our southern border and make it as safe as possible. ”
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On Wednesday, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) said at a special Senate Republican meeting that he would separate the border and Ukraine portions of Biden's supplementary request, citing a change in the political nature of Trump's victory. Reports have surfaced that he has brought up the idea.
But many Senate Republicans said Thursday that Mr. McConnell had said no such thing and remained in favor of combining the border bill with funding for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific and humanitarian purposes.
Lankford, the lead Republican negotiator on the border package, said he is moving full steam ahead with negotiations and remains hopeful of reaching a deal next week.
He added that political influences are outside of his control, even if they are a driving factor in getting the bill across the finish line.
“There's no question that President Trump is happy to have the same powers as the president, but we also understand that this is a big issue in the campaign. We need to balance both, but… We need to understand that that's the reality,” Lankford said, adding that he has not spoken to Trump recently.
But above all, some Member States are fed up with these political issues rearing their heads at a critical time, especially with the Ukraine war at a critical moment and the text of the bill yet to be published. There is.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-Va.) said “there's going to be some grumbling” about those who want a deal, but warned at the meeting that reactions would be “all over the place.”
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