by Alexis Simendinger & Kristina Karisch | The Hill
Senators are headed for a showdown over a U.S.-Mexico border deal that’s critical to unlocking aid for Ukraine and Israel.
GOP negotiators in the upper chamber are expressing doubts that even if they can come to an agreement, it won’t be one that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) can sell to his own members. Johnson, just weeks into his tenure, has rested Ukraine aid on the ability of Republicans to enact border reform, writes The Hill’s Al Weaver. But Republicans and Democrats are far apart on the issue, and GOP senators are openly expressing worries they can secure a deal that Johnson will bring to the House floor.
“Even if we get a majority of Republicans [in the Senate], it will be a steep hill for Speaker Johnson,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who is part of the bipartisan negotiating group. “There’s no question.”
The border deal concerns the government’s power to admit immigrants into the U.S. on humanitarian grounds, one element of tougher border restrictions Republican lawmakers are demanding to win their support for President Biden’s aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. While bipartisan talks have made progress on tightening the initial screening process for migrants seeking asylum — a central demand of Republicans — a separate policy known as humanitarian parole has now emerged as a sticking point in negotiations (The Wall Street Journal).
BIDEN ASKED CONGRESS last month to approve $106 billion in national security funding, including aid for Ukraine as it battles a Russian invasion, support for Israel after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas and money for additional security at the U.S. border with Mexico. The funding remains in limbo, raising concerns that funds for Ukraine might never pass, particularly after the Republican-led House passed a bill including assistance for Israel, but not Ukraine.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday the Senate will begin the consideration of the aid package as soon as next week, adding that an aid bill is needed even if there is no agreement with Republicans on funding for border security measures (Reuters).
I’m going to put them on the floor next week, hopefully with bipartisan support, because that’s the only way you can get it done,” Schumer said at a weekly news conference.
THE LACK OF A TRUE DEADLINE could allow talks to extend into January, which will be consumed by government spending and the start of the 2024 presidential primary season. Time is of the essence, however, because all of those included in talks are proponents of Ukraine aid and believe the country should have received funding months ago.
“We have been willing to give a lot in these talks. We are way out of [our] traditional comfort zone for Democrats,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), one of the leading negotiators, told reporters. “At some point, Republicans are going to have to say ‘yes.’”
The Hill: Why Republicans are souring on Ukraine (first of a three-part series).
A BIPARTISAN GROUP OF SENATORS viewed a compendium of Oct. 7 footage of Hamas attacks in Israel on Tuesday as pro-Israel lawmakers in Congress push for additional aid to America’s ally. They were accompanied to watch the footage by Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. The presentation, which was closed to the press, featured footage assembled by Israel to counter a Hamas narrative about grisly events that sparked Israel’s military bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza (The Hill).
“It was jarring and harrowing,” Schumer said. “It shook all of us up in the room. I had to go sit in my office for a half-hour alone after seeing it.”
WE’RE ALSO WATCHING: Hunter Biden, whose offer to testify before Congress — but only if the hearing is in public — is the president’s son’s latest effort to wrest back some of the initiative from his accusers. In recent months, the younger Biden has launched legal actions against former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne. And he’s suing the IRS itself for alleged wrongful disclosure of his personal information. The strategy carries some risks, writes The Hill’s Niall Stanage in the Memo, but the president’s son evidently considers it a better approach than passively soaking up GOP attacks.
Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who expects to be expelled from the House by colleagues this week based on alleged fraud and campaign finance violations, scheduled a Thursday press conference to respond in front of the Capitol. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) moved to force a vote on Santos’s expulsion Tuesday, teeing up a third — and potentially historic — vote on the embattled lawmaker’s ouster. Garcia, a top Santos critic, called his resolution a privileged measure, a procedural gambit that forces the chamber to take action on the resolution within two legislative days (The Hill).
