Washington- President Joe Biden blamed for the ongoing crisis within Congress concerning border security with Mexico and the provision of a massive aid package to Ukraine and Israel, his predecessor Donald Trump had previously supported. In statements made at the White House on Tuesday, Biden pointed the finger at Trump for the collapse of Republican support to reach an agreement.
Biden indicated that the $118 billion legislation was the result of months of “extraordinary effort” by a group of senators from both the Republican and Democratic parties, symbolizing “the most just and humane reforms in our immigration system in a long time and the toughest set of border security reforms ever.”
Hunt for Trump
Biden’s plea came as more Republicans in both the House and Senate voiced opposition to the deal negotiated by a joint committee from both parties, led by Democratic Senator Chris Murphy and Republican Senator James Lankford to resolve the crisis. This opposition arises after Trump attacked the deal, viewing it as a positive boost to Biden’s electoral prospects.
Trump is not interested in resolving the immigration crisis as its continuation is seen as key to his presidential election success.
Biden stated, “So over the last 24 hours, Trump has not done anything, but has been in contact with the Republicans in the House and Senate, threatening and attempting to intimidate them into voting against this proposal, and it appears that they are caving in. They owe the American people to show some courage, and do what they know is right.”
Trump prefers not to reach a temporary resolution to the immigration crisis (Reuters)
Agreement and Retreat
After months of negotiations regarding a huge aid package to Ukraine and Israel, Republicans linked it to a stricter policy towards securing the southern border. Top Republicans are now calling for a standalone foreign aid package as they oppose adding a more stringent border policy that they had previously demanded.
However, legislative efforts to bridge the partisan gap are faltering, especially after all the Republicans in the House voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who is responsible for border security and immigration.
The Senate began the week with a dispute over the text of the National Security Act bill published last Sunday, including fiscal allocations agreed upon by both parties, satisfying the demands of the Republican Party to link the Democrats’ border policy changes to President Biden’s request for military aid to Israel and Ukraine.
By Monday night, Oklahoma Senator James Lankford, a lead Republican negotiator on the Senate deal, anticipated its collapse, which now seems to be happening.
The failure of the package, encompassing points related to border policies previously requested by Republicans, such as allocating nearly $20 billion additional funding for border security, and raising the minimum to meet asylum requests, casts doubt on Congress’s ability to accomplish anything regarding border security or foreign aid, before the presidential elections in November.
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy mentioned that the procedural vote next Wednesday will likely mark the end of the parties’ efforts to address the border crisis, stating that the Republicans “are moving away from the old plan, and will move away from any new plans.”
This shift led Senate members from both parties to discuss plans to return to the original plan from last year to try to pass funding for Ukraine and Israel and humanitarian aid separately.
Chuck Schumer angered by some Republican senators’ retreat from the agreement (French)
House Republicans Against Senate Democrats
Following these developments, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer angrily stated, “Senators are elected to vote, not to fear and flee and make excuses when it comes to voting on tough issues.”
On the other hand, House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, affirmed that “Republicans simply cannot vote for the legislation with a clear conscience.”
He noted that the proposed legislation does not do enough to secure the borders, pointing out that President Biden already has the legal authority to address the increase in undocumented migrants, but he is not using it. Instead of considering the Senate legislation, House Republicans will introduce a standalone bill to provide military aid to Israel. However, it seems unlikely that this proposal will pass, as it will be rejected by the Senate, controlled by the Democrats.
Johnson told reporters that aid to Israel “cannot wait longer and must be passed separately from Ukraine aid.”
It is worth noting that the Pentagon is warning of the depletion of Ukrainian forces’ ammunition and other resources now, after US funding ran out weeks ago. However, the Democrats reject the idea of separating Ukrainian aid from aid to Israel, vowing to thwart Johnson’s initiative, calling it a “clear and cynical attempt” to undermine the parties’ agreement in the Senate.
