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Opposition to a newly announced bipartisan border deal and foreign aid package is rapidly growing in the Senate, raising the possibility that the bill will not survive a key vote expected this week.
All 41 senators would need to vote against the bill to reject the deal in an upcoming procedural vote, but 23 senators have already publicly expressed their opposition. With so many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle lining up in opposition, the bill is in danger of not getting the 60 votes needed to advance.
Asked Monday about his position on the border bill after leaving a meeting in Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office, Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker said, “This proposal is dead.” I think so.”
Minutes earlier, as Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa entered Mr. McConnell’s office, she issued a similarly dire warning about the bill’s chances of passage. Ernst said it was still under consideration, but added: “I hope we can find a way forward, but I don’t know if that’s possible at this point.”
The deal comes as former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson continue to attack the deal, ratcheting up pressure on Senate Republicans to oppose it or risk facing a backlash from conservatives. The prospects for passage of the bill in the Senate are bleak. Prime Minister Boris Johnson quickly told the House of Commons that the deal would be “void on arrival” after it was formally announced.
Republicans who oppose the deal have attacked it as too weak, but the bill would be tough changes to immigration laws that haven’t been changed in decades, giving the president broad powers to sharply restrict the entry of illegal immigrants. will give. southern border.
The massive $118.2 billion bill would also provide aid to key U.S. allies abroad, including billions of dollars to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia and security assistance to Israel; This includes humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Ukraine.
If the deal is rejected by Congress this week, senators would have to decide whether to pass aid to Ukraine and Israel apart from border and immigration measures. But it’s unclear whether a foreign aid package can pass on its own, as many Senate Republicans have called for increased border security in exchange for aid to these allies.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Saturday that the House of Commons will vote on a standalone bill to provide aid to Israel this week, increasing pressure on senators to abandon efforts to link aid to Israel with other issues.
But President Joe Biden will veto any unilateral aid package for Israel, the White House announced Monday.
“The administration is committed to reaching a national security agreement that secures borders and provides assistance to the peoples of Ukraine and Israel, while providing much-needed humanitarian assistance to conflict-affected civilians around the world.” , spent months working with a bipartisan group of senators,” the White House said in a statement. “Instead of honestly addressing our most pressing national security challenges, this bill is yet another cynical political ploy.”
The border deal was signed by three people: Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, and Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, one of the most conservative Republicans in Congress. It is the result of months of bipartisan negotiations with senators from all over the world.
So far, 20 Republican senators have publicly criticized the bill, including Montana Sen. Steve Daines, a member of the Senate Republican leadership. Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a prominent Republican, also said he had serious concerns about the policy.
A majority of Senate Republicans currently oppose the bill or are actively planning a “no” vote in the first procedural vote on the package.
“People are still reviewing and digesting the text, and we’re going to figure out a path forward from there based on input from members,” Senate Republican Leader John Thune said Monday.
As for his personal stance on the bill, Thune said he hasn’t decided yet.
“I’m just like everyone else. I’m reviewing the text. I think James Lankford did the best he could and got the best deal he could under the circumstances. This is a sign that our conference “It’s something I wanted to do,” he said. “Let’s see what happens.”
He acknowledged that House Republican leadership said the bill was dysfunctional upon its arrival, “complicating” things in the Senate.
Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota said Wednesday he plans to vote to filibuster the border deal. But he also argued that bipartisan Senate leadership should reach an agreement to give senators more time to fully consider and evaluate the border deal. A floor debate should then be set up to allow for a vote on amendments to amend the bill.
He said this approach could allow him to pass funding for Ukraine and Israel, which Schumer supports, and address the border deal for longer than the three-day notice Schumer has allowed. .
“I think we deserve time to debate the bill and amend it,” he said. “There is still work to be done.”
Two Democratic senators, Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Alex Padilla of California, have publicly attacked the bill.
Menendez called the agreement “unacceptable” in a statement Sunday night, adding: “Accepting this agreement as written would be a complete betrayal of the communities we are sworn to protect and represent. ” he said. If these changes had been considered under the Trump administration, Democrats would be furious, but because we want to win elections, Latinos and immigrants now find themselves on the sacrificial altar. Dew. ”
Padilla said in a statement that this was “missing the point,” adding that “chaos at the border causes more chaos, not less,” adding: “Relief for Dreamers, farm workers, and other illegal aliens. I can’t,” he added. They contribute billions of dollars to our economy, work in essential jobs, and make America stronger for our country. ”
Padilla suggested Monday that there are more Democrats opposed to the bill than people realize, making it even harder for the bill to get 60 votes to advance Wednesday.
Bernie Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, also said in a statement on Sunday that he opposes funding for Israel, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and saying, “The United States is committed to Netanyahu’s horrific war against the Palestinian people.” We cannot continue to provide funding.”
Supporters of the deal have pushed back against criticism, arguing that it is a misrepresentation of what the bill would do.
Mr. Lankford, the Republican’s chief negotiator, said Sunday that he was “embarrassed” by Mr. Johnson’s criticism, and Mr. Johnson said the deal Mr. Lankford had struck with Democrats was “worse than we expected.” ” he declared.
“It’s a little disconcerting that things are getting worse than expected as we build a border wall, expand deportation flights, expand ICE officers, Border Patrol agents, and detention beds. The deportation process… How will it be expedited? How will many of the long-standing problems and loopholes that have existed in the asylum process that stop border chaos be ironed out? So I’m a little confused. Actual text You need to work with a team of speakers to find out what is “worse than expected” based on. I wish I had a chance to actually read the text,” Lankford told reporters on a conference call.
He said he planned to “candidly” discuss concerns about the bill with Republican senators this week ahead of Wednesday’s key test vote, adding that he believed there were “misconceptions” about how the bill would work. Stated.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Kristin Wilson and Nikki Carvajal contributed to this report.
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