A bipartisan deal in the Senate on border security is heading for a crucial test, and top lawmakers involved in the negotiations say there’s still hope it will win enough support.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) told CNN’s State of the Union that he was hopeful there are “enough Republicans in the Senate who want to fix the problem at the border,” and that the next 24 to 48 hours would be a pivotal time.
The deal would expand the government’s power to deport people and expel border crossers when daily numbers surge above a certain level. It also provides additional funding for Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
Some Republicans, led by former President Donald Trump, have criticized the proposal, which lawmakers have been negotiating for months. Trump said at a campaign rally in Nevada this weekend that he would be fine with taking the blame for killing the plan. “I’ll fight it all the way,” he told supporters.
“We do have a bipartisan plan,” Murphy told CNN on Sunday. “The question is whether Republicans are going to listen to Donald Trump, who wants to preserve chaos at the border because he thinks that it’s a winning political issue for him, or whether we’re going to pass legislation which would be the biggest bipartisan reform of our border immigration laws in 40 years.”
Another negotiator, Sen. James Lankford (R., Okla.) told CBS Face the Nation that he believed the bill had enough support, but the entire text hasn’t been distributed to members. “People want to be able to just see it, read it, go through it, and to be able to see the dramatic change that this really makes.”
President Joe Biden said Saturday he would be willing to close the U.S.-Mexico border if lawmakers would send him the bill to sign. Even if it passes the Senate, however, it faces a tough hurdle in the narrowly Republican-led House.
“A bipartisan bill would be good for America and help fix our broken immigration system and allow speedy access for those who deserve to be here, and Congress needs to get it done,” Biden said at a campaign stop in South Carolina.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.) told CBS he believes the Senate will move quickly this week and next to have a vote on the overall package, which also includes aid for Israel, Gaza, state disaster relief, and other proposals. “If for some reason we can’t find the border agreement, I don’t think that dooms Ukraine aid because I do believe votes are there for Ukraine in both houses,” he said.
Biden is set to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in early February at the White House to talk about Ukraine’s defense in advance of the NATO Summit in Washington this summer.
Write to Liz Moyer at [email protected]
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