Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday countered GOP opposition over the bipartisan border security bill, warning that the "gauntlet" has been thrown while calling for action.
Following tensions over the U.S-Mexico border, text of the much-hyped bill was released on Sunday, introducing what would be the most substantial border security reform in years, alongside aid packages for Ukraine and Israel.
The $118 billion deal would address key concerns at the southern border, increasing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention capacity from 34,000 to 50,000 and allocating $20 billion to immigration enforcement. The proposal would also 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.
However, the GOP-led House does not appear to accept the bipartisan bill crafted by a coalition of Democratic and Republican senators, as conservative hardliners argue the bill does not go far enough to end illegal immigration into the U.S.
McConnell, of Kentucky and the Senate's top Republican, on Monday defended the bill against GOP opposition on the Senate floor, adding that it was time for action and that the "gauntlet" has been thrown.
"It is now time for Congress to take action on supplemental national security legislation that finally meets those challenges head-on. "Make no mistake, the gauntlet has been thrown and America needs to pick it up," McConnell said.
Newsweek has reached out to McConell's office via email for comment on Monday.
"This is a humanitarian and security crisis of historic proportions. And Senate Republicans have insisted—not just for months but for years—that this urgent crisis demanded action," McConnell added.
This comes after McConnell, who insisted last year that border policy changes be included in the national security funding package in a bid to overcome opposition from House Republicans, has faced backlash from his Republican colleagues over the bill.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, has previously said the Senate deal would be "dead on arrival in the House."
Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene also slammed the bill, writing on X, formerly Twitter, that any Republican voting for it "must be paid off by foreign interests and is acting as a foreign agent."
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.
Oklahoma GOP Senator James Lankford disagreed, saying 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.
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Natalie Venegas is a Weekend Reporter at Newsweek based in New York. Her focus is reporting on education, social justice ... Read more
