Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer didn’t hold back Tuesday in trashing GOP senators’ border security plan that they want to couple with war aid to Ukraine and Israel.
He said the Republican proposal to restart border wall construction, limit catch-and-release asylum claims, and end the so-called family loophole that rewards migrants who bring children as a “total non-starter.”
“Instead of putting together commonsense border policies that can pass in divided government, Senate Republicans basically copy and pasted large chunks of the House’s radical H.R. 2 bill,” said Mr. Schumer, New York Democrat.
His remarks underscored the hurdles that lay ahead for a bipartisan security package for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific and America’s southern border.
“That’s their asking price for helping Ukraine,” Mr. Schumer said. “Making Ukraine funding conditional on the hard-right border policies that can’t ever pass Congress is a huge mistake by our Republican colleagues.”
Minutes later, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell shot back that it’s “abundantly clear” the fix for President Biden’s “border crisis is by replacing bad policies with sensible ones.”
“In the face of record illegal migration, Democrats are focused on getting more people into our country faster — no matter the cost,” said Mr. McConnell, Kentucky Republican.
Mr. Biden’s $106 billion aid request for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific would also speed up processing for those who cross into the U.S. illegally. But Republicans say major policy changes are needed if the government wants to curtail the record surge of illegal immigrants.
Republicans have leverage. Senate Democrats need support from nine GOP senators to break a filibuster and Mr. Schumer likely lacks those votes for an aid package without tough new border policies.
“It is a national security issue — no question about it,” Senate Minority Whip John Thune, South Dakota Republican, told reporters. “That may be [Schumer’s] opening salvo, but I think he’s going to have to be prepared to negotiate.”
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson is moving forward with a piecemeal approach. The chamber passed a $14.3 billion aid bill for Israel last week, and the Louisiana Republican has vowed to allow a future standalone vote on Ukraine spending.
“I’d like to bridge the divide and see commonsense border policies done, and the president would like to get something done,” Mr. Schumer said. “If we can come together in a bipartisan fashion to stop the flow of fentanyl and give our frontline officers the resources and tools they need to do their jobs and stop fentanyl — all while staying true to our values — that’s what we should be doing.”
• Stephen Dinan contributed to this story.
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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