Mitch McConnell Faces Republican Fury Over Border Bill

Senator Mitch McConnell is facing backlash from his Republican colleagues over a $118 billion bipartisan border security bill unveiled on Sunday, with House Speaker Mike Johnson declaring it "dead on arrival".

The proposal would overhaul the asylum system with faster and tougher enforcement, as well as allow the Department of Homeland Security to temporarily shut down the border to most migrants if there are an average of more than 5,000 crossing attempts per day over seven days.

It also includes billions in aid for Ukraine, Israel and other allies, as well as humanitarian assistance to civilians affected by conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

Yet the bill was immediately rejected by several top Republicans, who claimed that not only did it fail to deal with the border crisis but also it would encourage migration.

McConnell, the Senate's top Republican, insisted last year that border policy changes be included in the national security funding package in a bid to overcome opposition from House Republicans.

He said the proposed legislation has "direct and immediate solutions to the crisis" at the border and that the Senate must "prepare to act."

"America's sovereignty is being tested here at home, and our credibility is being tested by emboldened adversaries around the world," he said in a statement. "The challenges we face will not resolve themselves, nor will our adversaries wait for America to muster the resolve to meet them."

Newsweek has contacted McConnell's office for further comment via email.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would hold the first procedural vote on the legislation on Wednesday.

But Johnson wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "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... If this bill reaches the House, it will be dead on arrival."

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said the bill would not receive a vote in the House.

"Here's what the people pushing this 'deal' aren't telling you: It accepts 5,000 illegal immigrants a day and gives automatic work permits to asylum recipients—a magnet for more illegal immigration," Scalise wrote on X.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also slammed the bill, writing on X that any Republican voting for it it "must be paid off by foreign interests and is acting as a foreign agent."

Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of former president Donald Trump, accused McConnell and Senator James Lankford, the lead Republican negotiator, of "selling out America with their Mass Amnesty/Ukraine Bailout deal."

Lankford said the bill gives Republicans huge wins, including providing funding for the border wall, creating a faster process for deportation, increasing deportation flights, and increasing the number of border officers.

Republican critics should look at how the bill "clears up a lot of the long-term issues and loopholes that have existed in the asylum law and it gives us an emergency authority that stops the chaos right now on the border," he said, according to the Associated Press.

And in a post on X, he said it was "absurd and untrue" that the emergency authority part of the bill would mean 5,000 migrants coming into the country every day.

President Joe Biden said the proposal includes "the toughest and fairest set of border reforms in decades."

"It will make our country safer, make our border more secure, treat people fairly and humanely while preserving legal immigration, consistent with our values as a nation," the Democratic president said in a statement.

He said it also "allows the United States to continue our vital work, together with partners all around the world, to stand up for Ukraine's freedom and support its ability to defend itself against Russia's aggression."