(CNN) –– Republicans in the United States Senate on Wednesday blocked a bipartisan immigration deal, including border security issues and a foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel, in a key vote amid an outpouring of attacks on the project. by former President Donald Trump and top House Republicans.
The vote was 49 to 50.
The failed procedural vote on the deal was a stunning rebuke by Senate Republicans of a proposal that would have enacted restrictive border measures and, in part, by one of their own members: Lankford of Oklahoma, one of the senators. In the most conservative Senate
Republicans demanded that the package include border security
Republicans initially demanded that border security be part of the bill, but later rejected the deal after pressure from Trump, who is making the border a central campaign issue to return to the White House.
Senator James Lankford speaks to reporters as he addresses a meeting at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on February 5. (Kevin Dych/Getty Images)
The result helps Ukraine and Israel, two key US allies, at critical times. After the vote, lawmakers will face increasing pressure to approve foreign aid on their own without any border conditions, an uncertain prospect as some Republicans oppose providing more aid to Ukraine. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to force a procedural vote on an emergency aid package for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan and abandon the border deal.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other top Republicans backed the measure, which would give Schumer the 60 votes needed to accept the relief package. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson has opposed uniting them all, so taking this step would conflict with the House.
Schumer told reporters he believed a supplemental national security spending bill without changes to border policy would garner enough bipartisan support to get at least 60 votes, the number needed to move forward.
Senior members of the Senate Republican leadership came out against a broader border deal. In fact, McConnell said Tuesday that the bill “won’t become law” amid opposition from Johnson and concerns in the Senate Republican Conference. Johnson has repeatedly said the bill would be “dead on arrival” in the House of Representatives.
Criticism of Democrats
Democrats have lashed out at Republicans for opposing the deal, arguing they cannot be trusted as negotiating partners and saying they are bowing to Trump’s push to keep the border in the political spotlight.
While Trump and other Republicans have criticized the bill as weak, the proposal would mark a drastic change in immigration law and would give the president far-reaching powers to restrict illegal immigrant crossings at the southern border. The Wall Street Journal editorial board called the agreement “the most restrictive immigration law in decades.”
The border agreement resulted in months of negotiations by a trio of senators: Lankford, Arizona’s independent Sen. Kirsten Sinema and Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut.
In a moment of solidarity as voting began, Sinema descended a grand staircase near the Senate floor, accompanied by Lankford and his wife, who held hands.
A comprehensive $118 billion legislative package would provide aid to key U.S. allies abroad, including billions of dollars to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia and security aid for Israel, as well as humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Ukraine.
Some Democrats also criticized the bill. Democratic Senators Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Alex Padilla of California have slammed the border agreement.
Menendez called the deal “unacceptable” in a statement Sunday, saying: “If these changes had been considered under Trump, Democrats would have been outraged, but because we want to win elections, Latinos and immigrants now find themselves at the altar of sacrifice”.
Padilla said in a statement that the bill “misses the mark,” adding that it would “create more chaos at the border, not less,” and “does not provide support for Dreamers, farm workers and other undocumented residents who “they contribute billions to. Giving. Build our economy, essential jobs, and make America stronger.
Many Republicans have directly attacked the border policy, with some arguing that there should have been more time to consider, debate and modify the bill after its release last Sunday night.
Schumer has criticized Senate Republicans for opposing the package, accusing them of following Trump’s orders.
“We all know what is happening here. “Donald Trump can use that on the campaign trail instead of having chaos at the border, instead of letting the Senate do the right thing and fix it,” Schumer said Tuesday. And instead of confronting Donald Trump, Senate Republicans are poised to end our best chance to fix the border.
“You want an amendment? Let the bill go, we’ll amend it. Do you want some time? Let’s go ahead with the bill, we can spend time debating it,” Schumer said. “But ‘no.’ A vote means they don’t want to debate or even move forward with the bill. “It’s a denial that goes completely against what the American people want.”
McConnell argued Tuesday that the Senate needs to change course on the national security package and focus on providing foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
“There are other parts of this complement that are extremely important: Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan. In my opinion, we still need to address the rest, because they are important. “It’s not that the border is not important, but we can’t get results,” “So I think that’s where we need to go, and if we don’t actually move forward then it’s up to Senator Schumer to figure out how to reframe this,” McConnell told CNN.
With a report from CNN’s Kristin Wilson.
