Senators release $118B border, aid package
WASHINGTON — Senators on Sunday released a highly anticipated $118 billion package that pairs border enforcement policy with wartime aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies, setting off a longshot effort to push the bill through heavy skepticism from Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson.
The proposal could be the best chance for President Joe Biden to resupply Ukraine with wartime aid — a major foreign policy goal that is shared with both the Senate’s top Democrat, Sen. Chuck Schumer, and top Republi- can, Sen. Mitch McConnell. The Senate was expected this week to hold a key test vote on the legislation, but it faces a wall of opposition from con- servatives.
With Congress stalled on approving $60 billion in Ukraine aid, the U.S. has halted shipments of ammu- nition and missiles to Kyiv, leaving Ukrainian soldiers outgunned as they try to beat back Russia’s invasion.
Biden said in a statement that the Senate proposal “allows the United States to continue our vital work, together with partners all around the world, to stand up for Ukraine’s freedom and support its ability to defend itself against Russia’s aggres- sion.”
And on the border, Biden said that the immigration sys- tem has been broken for too long, and it’s time to fix it. “It will make our country safer, make our border more secure, treat people fairly and humanely while preserving legal immigration, consistent with our values as a nation,” Biden said.
The new bill would also invest in U.S. defense man- ufacturing, send $14 billion in military aid to Israel, steer nearly $5 billion to allies in the Asia-Pacific, and provide humanitarian assistance to civilians caught in conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
“The United States and our allies are facing multi- ple, complex and, in places, coordinated challenges from adversaries who seek to dis- rupt democracy and expand authoritarian influence around the globe,” Schumer said in a statement.
In a bid to overcome oppo- sition from House Republicans, McConnell had insisted last year that border pol- icy changes be included in the national security fund- ing package. The bill would overhaul the asylum system at the border with faster and tougher enforcement, as well as give presidents new powers to immediately expel migrants if authorities become over- whelmed with the number of people applying for asylum.
However, in an elec- tion-year shift on immigra- tion, Biden and many Dem- ocrats have embraced the idea of strict border enforcement, while Donald Trump and his allies have criticized the proposed measures as insufficient.
Republicans have also been reluctant to give Biden a political win on an issue they see as one of his biggest vulnerabilities. They have argued that presidents already have enough authority to curb illegal border crossings — a stance that would ensure immigration remains a major issue in the presidential election. But at the same time, House Republicans have also pushed for their own, stricter version of border security legislation.
Johnson, a Republican of Louisiana, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that he had tried to involve House Republicans directly in the Senate’s negotiation, but was rebuffed. He added he was unaware of the bill’s details, but thought the solution to border problems should be a House proposal of hardline immigration measures.
“What we’re saying is you have to stem the flow,” Johnson said. He also made it clear that he — not Trump — would decide whether to bring the bill to the floor if it passes the Senate.