Senate negotiators have spent weeks trying to reach an agreement on immigration policy that will secure Republican support for wartime aid to Ukraine, yet election-year politics and demands from President Donald Trump are impeding progress on this effort.
The unpublished proposal includes new authority for expulsion of migrants without asylum screenings, as well as restrictions on parole use for certain migrant families.
Majority Leader Charles Schumer
On Wednesday, top congressional leaders convened at the White House for a meeting to discuss Ukraine aid and border security. Attending alongside McConnell and Schumer was House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries along with many Democratic and Republican committee chairmen and ranking members.
President Joe Biden made clear to Speaker Mike Johnson of the Louisiana Republican caucus during their meeting that security needs of Ukraine and other allied nations must be addressed as well as stronger border security measures. Mike Johnson served as an excellent reminder that bipartisan support in Congress is necessary in passing funding packages successfully.
Negotiations on Ukraine aid has dragged on since Republicans insist on stringent border policy changes as part of any agreement, raising fears over its effect on border security and Trump’s reelection chances. Some GOP senators have begun speaking out against it out of concern it could endanger their party in tight races against Democrats; even if an agreement can be reached in the Senate, its passage in the House may prove more challenging due to members who do not wish to help fund Ukraine’s fight against Russia – these talks will continue over the holidays, as fate of any funding bill remains in flux.
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
Senate legislation designed to link stricter border policy changes with aid for Ukraine is in limbo as lawmakers face an election-year test of unity. Negotiators appear close to reaching an agreement President Trump has denounced and would hand Joe Biden, his likely 2024 opponent, an important victory on an important campaign issue; yet Mitch McConnell privately concedes that political ambitions within his party are complicating negotiations.
On Wednesday, during a closed-door meeting of Senate Republicans, Mitch McConnell voiced doubts as to whether his own party could support an immigration proposal that includes significant Ukraine aid and stringent restrictions, according to two people familiar with his comments who spoke under condition of anonymity for confidentiality reasons.
Republicans have come out against McConnell’s plan, saying it doesn’t include enough measures to secure the border and that Senate Democratic leaders are trying to undermine any future Republican presidency by pardoning thousands of illegal immigrants daily and giving them work permits. McConnell aides dispute this claim, explaining that their boss was simply acknowledging the political difficulties ahead as he navigates it through the chamber – negotiations also becoming complex due to most House Republican support for it being met with suspicion or hostility from House members who view it.
White House
As Senate negotiators prepare to meet with President Biden to discuss a package to aid Ukraine, he has publicly declared his optimism that an agreement can be found. But Thursday’s meeting may place Democratic negotiators in an awkward situation as they try to gain support for policies they have previously opposed – such as tougher border security measures that satisfy rank-and-file Republicans hesitant to approve any additional aid to Ukraine or Israel.
The White House stated that Johnson would use this meeting as an opportunity to impress upon him the importance of aiding Ukraine as it combats Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion. While negotiation teams anticipate losing support from certain wings of their own party, their goal should be creating a package acceptable to a majority across both parties according to Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, one of its negotiators teams.
At a meeting this week with leaders of relevant committees, she informed them that a package that includes both Ukraine funding and border changes was in the works; she, however, declined to state if there would be any White House proposals that allow detention of families together when crossing illegally across borders.
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