Sen. Mike Lee slapped Senate GOP leaders with charges of “disqualifying betrayal” for reaching an agreement with Democrats on new southern border policies.
The scathing rebuke from the Utah Republican underscored the mounting disdain from conservatives that the bipartisan bill fails to adequately address the immigration crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“Senate GOP leadership screwed this up — and screwed us,” Mr. Lee wrote on social media. “Even while refusing to let us see the bill they claimed to be negotiating on our behalf — for MONTHS — they were never in doubt, insisting we’d be dumb and even unpatriotic NOT to support it. This is a disqualifying betrayal.”
The border provisions will be attached to a $118 billion national security package with aid for Ukraine and Israel. They include expanding the government’s deportation force, expedited immigration court hearings and giving President Biden new powers to block illegal crossings at the border.
However, those authorities would only kick in when the flow of migrants averages more than 4,000 per day, a major point of contention for Republican critics.
Senate GOP leaders sought to corral Republican support by branding the border policies as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to address the crisis at the southern border.
“The Biden administration’s refusal to secure the border created an unprecedented crisis, and the urgent humanitarian and security consequences affect every state,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican. “It is time to force the president to start cleaning up his mess and equip future leaders with a system that works and new emergency tools to restore order.”
Montana Sen. Steve Daines, chair of Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, was the highest-ranking GOP senator to oppose the legislation, underscoring the hurdles that lay ahead.
The Senate will hold a procedural vote Wednesday to advance the package that will require 60 votes. Its fate is uncertain.
House Speaker Mike Johnson called the bill a “waste of time” with House Republicans and will not hold a vote.
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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