A Senate bill supplying aid to Ukraine alongside new immigration policies was struck down on Feb. 7. A second funding pakage has already ben proposed.
The bipartisan bill released on Feb. 4 faced continuous backlash from both Republicans and Democrats. The $118 billion package paired border enforcement measures with $60 billion in wartime aid for Ukraine, Israel, and humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza and Ukraine.
The legislation represents one of the most conservative and comprehensive proposals to emerge from Congress in regards to the southern border of the US. President Biden would have the power to shut down the border if average daily crossings surpassed 4,000 a week. If crossings surpass 5,000, Biden would be required to close the border.
Even before the vote, Republicans had reservations about the bill. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson criticized the proposal as being insufficient and suggested Biden take executive action to address the situation at the border.
“I’ve seen enough. This bill is even worse than we expected, and won’t come close to ending the border catastrophe the president has created,” said Johnson. “If this bill reaches the House, it will be dead on arrival.”
Democrats also had reservations about the bill, citing its strict border security measures. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) said the bill “throws immigrants under the political bus.”
“It is critical that we support our allies in their fight to defend democracy and provide humanitarian relief, but not at the expense of dismantling our asylum system while ultimately failing to alleviate the challenges at our border,” said Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA).
Many Republicans said the compromise wasn’t enough and the issue at the border should be debated during the presidential election. Supporters of the bill claimed that it was the most “comprehensive” bipartisan border proposal in years and included several Republican priorities.
The vote failed 49-50, short of the 60 needed to pass the bill.
“Finally, it seemed, we had the opportunity to solve the nightmare my state has lived for over 40 years,” said Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) to her Republican colleagues. “Turns out they want all talk and no action. It turns out border security is not a risk to our national security. It’s just a talking point for the election.”
With Congress unable to move forward and approve funding for Ukraine, the U.S. has halted shipments of ammunition and missiles to Kyiv.
“Every week, every month that passes without new aid to Ukraine means fewer artillery shells, fewer air defense systems, fewer tools for Ukraine to defend itself against this Russian onslaught,” said President Biden. “Just what Putin wants.”
Focus is now being shifted to a standalone $95 billion package that would provide funding to Ukraine and Israel, without new border policies.
“We support this bill which would protect America’s national security interests by stopping Putin’s onslaught in Ukraine before he turns to other countries, helping Israel defend itself against Hamas terrorists and delivering life-saving humanitarian aid to innocent Palestinian civilians,” said White House spokesman Andrew Bates.
It’s still unclear if the new plan, even if passed by the Senate, would gain support as Republicans continue to insist on new border policies, despite rejecting the original deal.
“We’ll see what the Senate does,” said Johnson. “We’re going to allow the process to play out.”
