Republicans Go To War With Biden Over The Border
Senate Republicans have come together to prevent the passage of a bipartisan border security agreement that many had previously supported.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., intends to call a vote on the bill this Thursday, but so far, no Republican senators have expressed their support, according to The Hill. The bill has received endorsements from the National Border Council and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has dismissed Schumer’s plan as a political stunt, informing President Joe Biden that the GOP would not support the legislation. McConnell had previously praised the bill as a “huge success,” as reported.
“I told him,” McConnell stated to The Hill, “‘Mr. President, you created this problem. No piece of legislation can resolve it. Why don’t you just continue what the previous administration was doing?'”
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., who helped negotiate and supported the bill in February, criticized the vote as mere political theater aimed at shielding vulnerable Senate Democrats up for reelection.
“This isn’t about solving anything,” Lankford commented. “It’s about political messaging. They’re trying to provoke Republicans instead of addressing the issue.”
The proposed legislation aims to overhaul the nation’s asylum laws and grant the president authority to shut down the border if daily migrant crossings average 4,000.
Senators Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who had supported the bill in February, told The Hill they remain undecided on their votes.
Schumer accused Republicans of yielding to former President Donald Trump, who opposed the bill, asserting that Trump wants to highlight the border issue in the lead-up to the presidential election.
“This is the same bipartisan bill Republicans once championed but then withdrew their support after receiving orders from President Trump,” Schumer told The Hill. “They made an about-face and then voted no.”
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., also expressed opposition to the bill. Padilla, who opposed the bill in February, reiterated his stance due to the bill’s lack of assistance for migrants.