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Less than a minute into his White House remarks, Biden cited President Trump by name and urged Congress to pass a $118 billion Senate bill on border security and aid to Israel and Ukraine. But if the bill dies, as many lawmakers on both sides expect, he will spend the next nine months using his bullish pulpit to convince his Republican opponents that they are above their duty to the country. He said he intended to convey to the American people his loyalty to Mr. Trump.
“In the last 24 hours, [Trump has] He did nothing, but we’re told he contacted Republicans in the House and Senate and tried to intimidate them into voting against the proposal. It’s like they’re digging a cave,” Biden said. “Frankly, they owe it to the American people to show some backbone and do what they know is right.
“If this bill were to fail, I would be absolutely certain of one thing: The American people would know why this bill was defeated. …Every day from now until November, the American people The nation will learn that the only reason our border is unsafe is because of Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends.”
Whether or not that message is successful, Biden’s comments signal an effort to turn the political tide on illegal immigration, with polls suggesting he is highly vulnerable. This is a problem. As the race for the White House heats up for a potential rematch in 2020, Trump and Biden are jockeying for the upper hand on one of the most incendiary issues in American politics.
Mr. Trump has become a political figure on the campaign trail on immigration, making border issues central to his 2024 campaign message, just as he did in 2016. He told Republican lawmakers they shouldn’t help Democrats pass a major immigration bill before the November election.
Biden’s allies privately acknowledge that immigration has become one of his biggest weaknesses. It was prompted by footage of chaos at the southern border that occurred periodically during his presidency. Former White House officials say the president and his top aides have been involved in the details of border operations and migration patterns, which they believe are central to his re-election bid.
After the bipartisan border security deal was announced on Sunday, Biden issued a statement of support saying it “includes the toughest and fairest border reform in decades.” He said last month that if the bill becomes law, he would use new emergency powers to close the border “on the day we sign the bill.”
On Tuesday, he blasted what he called Republican hypocrisy on the issue, reinforcing a debate about the party’s direction since President Trump took office. Mr. Biden has characterized his Republican opponents as extremists who rely on Mr. Trump’s “Make America Great Again” ideology and are unwilling to even make reasonable compromises when chaos yields political benefits. I am trying to do. Biden is now threatening to turn this bill into Exhibit A.
The bill has been negotiated over the past two months by Sen. James Lankford (R-Louisiana), Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). contains some of the most important demands on immigrants. This includes a broader argument that any additional aid to Ukraine should be coupled with a set of tough border policies.
The bill would give the president emergency powers to deny entry to immigrants if the Border Patrol detects an average of at least 4,000 people improperly crossing the border each day over a seven-day period. Such closures would become necessary if the number of railroad crossings reached he 5,000 per day. The agreement includes stricter asylum standards and a significant expansion of detention capacity.
Additionally, the bill would provide $14.1 billion to Israel in its war against Hamas and allocate more than $60 billion in additional aid to Ukraine, which the administration desperately needs to support America’s allies.
Still, Republicans who oppose the bill say it falls far short of what’s needed. Sen. Eric Schmidt (R-Missouri) said in a statement Monday that the provision is “disastrous and completely ignores the fact that Joe Biden has all the authority necessary to close the border right now.” “He can do just that.” I get it, but he had no interest in dealing with the crisis he caused. ”
Schmidt added: “This bill has been negotiated in secret for months, and now they expect us to vote on it without any real-time debate or consideration.” . For these reasons, and many other obvious problems with this bill, I intend to vote against it, and I am sure many of my colleagues will as well. ”
This is a marked departure from the position of Republican leaders several months ago. In early December, Senate Republicans rejected the aid package for Ukraine and Israel, demanding it include tough immigration measures. Worried about the impact of the border issue, Democrats bowed to many of the Republican demands and reversed some of their own priorities, such as a path to citizenship for people brought to the U.S. illegally as children. agreed to waive some of the
Supporters of the bill say it contains concessions on both sides. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York said on the Senate floor Tuesday that Republicans are “prepared to kill any additional national security package, even the border provisions we have so passionately demanded.” Stated. “These reports are concerning because this is a good bipartisan bill that seriously addresses the border issue directly, quickly and seriously.”
Still, the chances of passage of the bill seemed to shrink with each passing minute.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and his leadership team said in a joint statement that the bill would actually encourage more illegal immigration. “Considering this Senate bill in its current form is a waste of time,” they wrote. “He was dead on arrival at his home. We encourage the United States Senate to reject this.”
Other Republicans said Mr. Biden was simply trying to avoid the political problems he had caused. “Joe Biden stopped building the wall, ended Remain in Mexico, reinstated catch-and-release, and more,” said Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas). “He made policy choices that led to this situation. And his attempts to pretend otherwise are ridiculous.”
At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, several Republican senators said they were not obligated to accept the bill just because it was negotiated on a bipartisan basis. And he argued that conservatives have legitimate concerns about aspects of the bill, even if some of his colleagues’ opposition is overheated.
“Some are repeating Trumpworld’s original lie that this bill ‘codifies’ the admission of 5,000 immigrants a day. That’s not true,” said John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 3 Republican in the Senate. “But a growing number of well-meaning people are also opposing what actually exists, such as paying legal fees for child migrants and loopholes that allow the president to end the border emergency in a national security crisis. .or expedited work authorization for asylum seekers.”
Lankford, who led negotiations on the Republican side for two months, said he was “understandably surprised” by his Republican colleagues’ immediate rejection of the bill. He attributed some of the opposition to the political climate and Republicans’ reluctance to support Biden on hot-button issues.
“At this moment in time, there are many colleagues who are leaving,” Lankford told CNN. “I’m not saying it’s all politically motivated. Some people have legitimate issues and say, ‘I don’t like this part of the bill,’ or ‘I wish there was more content.’ But some people do.” Sometimes they withdraw based on the politics of the time. ”
Trump’s remaining opponent in the Republican primary, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, also criticized the Republican Party for what she called a politically motivated position aimed at helping the former president retake the White House.
“It would be irresponsible to say Congress has to wait until the general election because President Trump is worried he will lose,” Haley told Fox News. “There are many reasons to worry that Mr. Trump will lose, but he doesn’t have to sacrifice national security to do so.”
Mr. Biden’s comments Tuesday underscore the Republican Party’s rejection of immigration policy throughout the upcoming campaign, linking it to Mr. Trump and seeking to turn a weakness into a strength, or at least damage Mr. Biden’s prospects. He indicated that he was hoping for some relief. .
President Trump “is not interested in solving the border issue. He wants to use political issues against me,” Biden said. “The American people want a resolution that puts an end to the empty political rhetoric that has gotten nothing done for too long.”
He added, “The Republican Party must decide whether to serve Donald Trump or the American people.”
Marianna Sotomayor, Liz Goodwin and Torse Olorunipa contributed to this report.
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