The Senate Minority Leader is apparently urging his colleagues to accept Biden’s deal because no such deal will be available if Trump wins the election.
The deal in question
The Senate is currently considering a sizeable omnibus package combining border funding with foreign aid. The bill’s total cost would be over $100 billion, with about $14 billion going to various forces along the southern border.
Not enough
However, many Republicans in Congress have signaled unease or outright opposition to this compromise bill. House Speaker Mike Johnson led a group of GOP congresspeople to the border in early January to argue for stricter policies.
Working in private
According to Andrew Desiderio, McConnell “told GOP senators that this is Congress’ moment to do a border deal” during a “closed-door lunch.” McConnell argued that “a border deal” with Democrats “won’t happen under a 2nd Trump presidency.”
Time is ticking
“The argument,” Desiderio explained on X, formerly Twitter, is that “this is the best deal we can get & now is our only chance.”
Other concerns
McConnell “also wants the foreign aid portion to pass,” Desiderio noted. The bill earmarks more than $61 billion for Ukraine and over $14 billion for Israel.
Last chance
Many Democrats have expressed discomfort with some of the stricter border policies included in the bill, including an expedited removal process for some migrants. In December, a group of Latino Democrats spoke out against the policies in the bill, arguing that they were too harsh.
Wrong call
“A return to Trump-era policies is not the fix,” Sen. Alex Padilla said. “It will make the problem worse.” The group of Latino senators also expressed anger at not being included in discussions of what to include in the proposed legislation.
No quarter
McConnell’s argument that this could be the last chance to reach a compromise might be disregarded. Far-right Republicans like Johnson and Jim Jordan have indicated that they will only support strict border policies.
Shut it down
Jordan has threatened to shut down the federal government in protest of what he calls inaction on the border. Johnson has repeatedly demanded that any compromise must include the extreme anti-immigration policies passed by the Republican-led House, collectively called H.R.2.
No chance
However, Senate Democrats have publicly criticized H.R.2, also known as the “Secure the Border Act of 2023,” as “cruel” and “anti-immigrant.” Biden also promised to veto it. According to Al-Jazeera, it has “virtually no chance of becoming law.”
Mockery
Johnson baffled CNN’s Jake Tapper by claiming that border officials don’t want the $14 billion in Biden’s proposal. “I’m sure the people, the Border Patrol agents that you’re with, think it might do something,” Tapper insisted.
Last chance
All this is likely why McConnell privately urged his colleagues to “take this opportunity” to enact stricter border policies.
Political theatre
“They’ll never come to a deal,” one user on X commented. “Republicans don’t want a border solution, they want to keep using the border as an issue.”
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