How long will Republican unity on border security last?
Conn Carroll
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For now, at least, it appears Republican senators are all singing out of the same hymnal on border security.
“Dems want $106B—GOP wants a closed border. That’s the trade,” Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) tweeted today. “But clueless Dems want to negotiate the border bill. Not going to happen. Is an open border more important to Dems than Ukraine and Israel?”
VENEZUELA EXPLOITS BIDEN’S WEAKNESS
“I’m advocating and I hope all of our members vote no on the motion to proceed to the shell to make the point,” Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said at a press conference today, “hopefully, for the final time, that we insist on meaningful changes to the border.”
At that same press conference, Conference Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY) said, “The message from Republicans to the President of the United States is this: There will not be a national security bill unless and until there is serious and significant changes in security at our southern border.”
No negotiations. “Meaningful changes to the border.” “Serious and significant changes in security at our southern border.” These are all good statements for a party normally divided on immigration.
Last week, it appeared that a group of centrist senators was ready to vote with Democrats to bail out sanctuary cities in exchange for minor changes to how asylum officers determine if immigrants have a good chance of succeeding on their asylum claims. This policy change would have done nothing to restore order at the border, so it was encouraging to see Republicans back away from the deal this Monday.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has teed up a vote on President Joe Biden’s supplemental request, which includes money for Ukraine, Israel, and sanctuary cities, for this Thursday. With all the Republican unity displayed today, that vote will surely fail.
The question is what comes next.
At the same press conference, McConnell made it clear that he wants Ukraine funding as much as Democrats do. But Democrats have made it clear they are not willing to separate Ukraine and Israel aid.
After the vote on Biden’s supplemental request fails, how will McConnell work with Democrats to secure Ukraine funding? Will they pair it with Israel, separating the sanctuary city bailout from the rest of the bill? Or will they go back to negotiating on the border?
It is encouraging to hear Romney say they will accept nothing less than “the border bill,” which must be a reference to H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act. If that is the “meaningful change” Republicans demand after Thursday, then the party, and the nation, is in good shape.
But the danger is that despite their seemingly strong rhetoric today, a subset of Republicans will go back to offering weak border policy changes that will do nothing to solve the crisis. That would be a disaster.
H.R. 2 would be a fundamental change in immigration policy. It would make it much harder for Biden and future Democratic presidents to ignore immigration law and allow unlimited numbers of immigrants into the country on their whim. It is highly unlikely Democratic senators would accept those limitations on presidential power.
Something will have to give. And soon. Ukraine is running out of the weapons it needs to stop Russian troops from invading the country.