Senate negotiators introduced a long-awaited national security bill on Sunday after months of talks over funding for U.S. allies overseas and changes to border policy.
The Senate is scheduled to vote on the bill on Wednesday, but it remains highly uncertain whether the bill can pass both chambers. Lawmakers from both parties have already voiced criticism of the bill, with House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, declaring it “dead on arrival” in the House.
Here’s what you need to know about this bill.
How much money would this bill provide to U.S. allies overseas?
The $118 billion bill includes $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. Dollars included.
Another $4.83 billion will be used to support U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific and “deter China,” and $2.4 billion will go to support U.S. military operations related to the conflict in the Red Sea.
What border policy changes does this bill include?
The bill is said to be the most stringent border policy change in decades. If passed, the bill would provide $20 billion in funding to strengthen and expand border enforcement operations at the U.S.-Mexico border as arrests for illegal border crossings continue to rise. record high price.
In one of his most important proposals, Joe Biden would have the option to close the border if the average number of people crossing each day exceeds 4,000 in a week. The president must close the border if the average number of people crossing each day exceeds 5,000, or if the total number of people crossing each day exceeds 8,500.
The bill would also provide funding to hire additional asylum staff and speed up the asylum application review process. If passed, the bill would raise the bar for eligibility to file an asylum claim and make it harder for immigrants to even begin the process.
The bill would keep Biden in power to grant parole on a case-by-case basis, even though many Republicans have called for changes to the parole system. The bill would also authorize the distribution of an additional 250,000 immigrant visas over the next five fiscal years.
What is Joe Biden saying about this bill?
Biden expressed strong support for the bill and called on Congress to “come together and quickly pass this bipartisan agreement.”
“In line with our values as a nation, we will make our country safer, our borders more secure, and treat our people fairly and humanely, while preserving legal immigration,” Biden said in a statement Sunday. It will become.”
Where do Republicans stand on this bill?
Opinions are sharply divided among Republicans over the proposal, with some criticizing it even before the text of the bill was released on Sunday. Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, who helped broker the deal, called the bill “the effective tools needed to close open borders and give future administrations the effective tools they need to stop border chaos and protect our country.” “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to give people the opportunity to Nation”.
Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky urged his colleagues to take action on the border in a statement released Sunday. He said, “The challenges we face will not resolve themselves, and our enemies will not wait for America to become determined” to meet them. The Senate must carefully consider the opportunities before it and be prepared to act. ”
But other prominent Republicans, including Johnson, have already rejected the deal. In the days leading up to the bill’s release, Johnson and his allies attacked the bill as insufficient and suggested that Biden should instead take executive action to address the situation at the border. .
“We’ve seen enough. This bill is even worse than we expected and far from ending the border disaster the president has wrought,” Johnson said Sunday. “If this bill reaches the House, it will be dead on arrival.”
Donald Trump, who has made immigration a central part of his presidential campaign, similarly called on Republicans to oppose the bill. President Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Monday, saying that the bill was “one of the most critical borders of all time, to hold Republicans accountable for what radical left Democrats have done to the border.” “It’s nothing more than a very clever trap set up by the government.” election”.
Have progressive Democrats expressed concerns about the bill’s border provisions?
Several progressive members of the House and Senate have said they cannot support the bill, citing strict border security measures. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat and chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said the bill “throws immigrants under the political bus.”
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Security, pointed to the lack of participation of Hispanic members of Congress in the bill’s negotiation process. accused of being opaque.
“It is important to support our allies to protect our democracies and provide humanitarian relief, but not at the expense of dismantling our asylum system without ultimately mitigating challenges at our borders,” Padilla said. he said.
Can this bill still pass Congress?
It is still very unclear. The Senate is scheduled to vote on the bill on Wednesday, with 60 votes needed to pass the bill in the 100-member chamber. The vote in the Senate is expected to be close, given the frustrations shared by members of both parties over the bill’s provisions.
Even if the bill passes the Senate, Prime Minister Johnson has the ability to block it from passing in the House of Commons. Prime Minister Johnson will closely monitor the Senate vote to determine how many Republicans oppose the bill. If most Senate Republicans vote against the bill, Johnson will likely be more motivated to block its passage in the House.
If this bill fails, what’s next in the fight over funding to Ukraine and Israel??
Johnson has already indicated that the House of Commons will vote on a standalone bill to provide funding for Israel this week, which could further damage prospects for passage of the border bill.
The standalone bill does not include additional aid to Ukraine, which has been a sticking point for many far-right Republicans. Even if the House passes a standalone bill, Senate Democrats would sign off on a proposal that only includes funding for Israel, given progressive anger over Israeli airstrikes and the high civilian death toll in Gaza. It seems unlikely.
pentagon warned Ukraine is running low on funds and ammunition to continue its fight against Russia. The world will be watching to see what Congress does this week.
