Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has recommended that Republicans vote against a bipartisan border and foreign aid bill that has been heavily opposed by former President Donald Trump.
Despite supporting the $118 billion package, which would see military aid sent to Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies, as well as increased border protection, McConnell is said to have encouraged fellow Senate Republicans not to back the bill in a vote on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press (AP) and Politico.
Trump has frequently lashed out against the bill, backed by President Joe Biden, including telling The Dan Bongino Show that the package is a "gift to the Democrats" who "want this for the presidential election so they can now blame the Republicans for the worst border in history."
A number of other Republicans, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz and House Speaker Mike Johnson, have also spoken out against the border and foreign aid deal that has been negotiated for months. With McConnell not whipping his fellow Senate Republicans to support the motion on Wednesday, it is becoming increasingly unclear whether the package will be cleared.
McConnell had previously faced criticism after reportedly telling Senate Republicans that they are in a "quandary" with regards to the negotiations to pass the border bill which would improve security. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee, will want to center his presidential campaign on immigration and attack Biden over high levels of migrant crossings.
McConnell's office has been contacted for comment via email.
According to AP, the 90-minute meeting on Monday night became particularly heated, with lawmakers shouting during the debate over the bill.
A number of Senate Republicans said they were not likely to back the bill on Wednesday in its current form, with time running out to debate any further changes.
"I think the Wednesday vote is going to be, for most of our members, too early," South Dakota Senator John Thune, the second-ranked Republican leader, told AP.
GOP Oklahoma Senator James Lankford, who negotiated the bill, also said he would not support the package if it does not have enough backing.
"That's not voting against the bill," Lankford told Politico about the potential to filibuster the bill from coming to the floor. "So that's not the final passage. That's the beginning point."
In a joint-statement, Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Whip Tom Emmer, and Chairwoman Elise Stefanik urged the Senate to reject the border bill as it "fails in every policy area needed to secure our border" and claimed that it "actually incentivizes more illegal immigration."
"Any consideration of this Senate bill in its current form is a waste of time. It is DEAD on arrival in the House. We encourage the U.S. Senate to reject it," the House Republican leaders added.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Republicans to "tune the chaos out" and vote yes on the bill in a Monday speech.
"Everyone agrees the border is a mess. For years our Republican colleagues have demanded we fix the border, and all along they said it should be done through legislation," Schumer said. "Only recently did they change that, when it looked like we might actually produce legislation.
"Well, we are producing legislation in a bipartisan way, and now, unfortunately, many on the hard-right are turning their back on this package," Schumer added. "Everyone is asking the same question: are MAGA Republicans serious about fixing the border or is this merely political?"
The Biden administration said the president would veto any standalone bill that would only provide aid to Israel, and not funds for border security or Ukraine, as proposed by some Republicans.
"The Administration strongly encourages both chambers of the Congress to reject this political ploy and instead quickly send the bipartisan Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act to the President's desk," the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement.
Update 2/6/24, 04:23 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with further information.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
