WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a bipartisan border security and foreign affairs deal after Republicans voted en masse to filibuster the deal they had requested, arguing that it did not do enough to police the border. The aid bill was rejected 49-50.
The failure to vote on the $118 billion aid package jeopardizes an alternative plan floated by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. He plans to force a vote on Wednesday on an aid package for Israel and Ukraine that removed border security provisions after Republicans blocked the measure. Senate Democratic aides said it would be a larger bill.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), the Democratic lead negotiator, said he was appalled by Republicans' rejection of the bill that Republican leaders negotiated and approved just three days earlier.
“This is the most outrageous act I've ever been involved in in my 16 years as a member of Congress,” Murphy told NBC News shortly after the vote. “Within hours, the release became available and everyone ran for the hills. …We have no idea that Trump is completely and utterly in charge of the party, which is otherwise rudderless. I learned that.”
Five Democrats joined most Republicans in opposing the bill, but it failed to garner the necessary 60 votes. Among the Republicans who voted in favor were Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and James Rank, the top Republican negotiator on the deal. There were only four, including Sen. Ford (Oklahoma).
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), the other lead negotiator on the border bill, accused critics of trying to prolong a broken system for political gain. “I have a very clear message to those who are using the southern border for political events: Don't come to Arizona. Take your political stage to Texas,” she said. said. “Please don’t bring it into my state.”
The Senate will now turn to a simplified foreign aid package that includes aid to warring nations and Taiwan. The bill still includes provisions targeting fentanyl trafficking, Democratic aides said. The bill will be voted on later Wednesday and will need at least 60 votes for a final vote in the coming days.
The White House supports the plan. White House Press Secretary Andrew Bates said Wednesday that the foreign aid bill “protects America's national security interests by stopping President Putin's onslaught in Ukraine before he turns to other countries.” It said it would also help defend Israel and provide “humanitarian aid to innocent Palestinian civilians.” ”
However, it is unclear whether the bill will pass the Senate. A Senate Republican luncheon Wednesday afternoon became heated as they debated whether to support a new foreign aid bill, three people present told NBC News. Sen. John Thune (R.S.D.), a Republican heavyweight, told senators that the vote would happen anyway, so “we need to stop being so picky and just vote.” said two people involved.
If it passes the Senate, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) indicated Wednesday he would not allow it to be voted on in the House.
“Let's see what the Senate does. We're allowing the process to take place. And once it's sent to us, we'll deal with it. These issues have a number of issues on their own merits. I've made it very clear that we have to act on that basis,” Johnson told reporters before the Senate vote.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) met privately with Mr. Johnson on Wednesday morning, two sources said. The speaker told McConnell that he could not give any guarantees about the fate of the non-immigration foreign aid bill in the House.
Separately, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) also met with Johnson.
“I'm not going to bring it up,” Scott said Johnson told him. “He said it needs to be broken up into separate bills. … If it passes the Senate, he's not going to take it up in the Senate.”
In response, a source in the Speaker's office said, “The Speaker's message to Senators McConnell and Scott has been consistent: the House will consider the Senate's proposal.'' The Speaker believes that the House should consider each issue individually on its merits. ”
McConnell had supported the $118 billion border security bill negotiated with Democrats by a group of Republican senators, but he admitted he didn't have a vote on the bill and voted against it on Wednesday. McConnell voiced his support for a vote on the supplemental aid bill without border provisions during a leadership news conference Tuesday.
“There are parts of this supplement that are very important, like Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. In my opinion, we should address the rest because they are important,” McConnell said. It's not that borders don't matter, but they don't yield results. So I think that's where we should head.”
Less than 48 hours after the language of the bipartisan border security bill was released on Sunday, Republican senators made it clear that the bill has no viable path to passage.
Former President Donald Trump slammed the bipartisan border security package as a “terrible bill.” Prime Minister Johnson was also quick to voice his opposition to the bill, saying it would: “Dead on arrival” If it reaches the House of Commons.
The White House has indicated its intention to continue pushing for immigration reform. “Even if some Republicans’ approach to border security is driven by politics, President Biden is not,” Bates said Wednesday. “Securing our borders requires reform and more resources. All of these priorities have strong bipartisan support across the country.”
The House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected a standalone bill providing aid to Israel amid infighting in Congress over the Senate border bill. The House vote was 250-180, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass the Israel aid bill under the expedited process.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a vote on the stand-alone Israel bill after the Senate agreed to an immigration deal. Johnson's office said the House bill includes $17.6 billion in military aid to Israel, as well as “significant funding for U.S. forces in the region.” It also lacked spending offsets that Johnson said Democrats opposed in previous bills. But Democrats rejected it as a political ploy to take advantage of Republicans' rejection of the Senate's immigration deal.
