Christian Smith
WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called for a vote this week on a revived border security bill negotiated earlier this year, even as House Speaker Mike Johnson, declaring that the project would be “dead on arrival”.
The bill, introduced in February and written by Senator James Lankford, Republican of Oklahoma, and Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, ultimately failed in the Senate due to opposition from the Republican Party.
Senate Republicans have previously said the bill, which calls for stricter asylum standards and a mechanism to trigger border closures, fell short of their expectations.
The latest version of a bipartisan bill could be voted on as early as Thursday.
Democrats double down on vote on border project
Democrats are again trying to pass the Borders Act, which they say would reform U.S. asylum laws, hire thousands of new border agents, invest in technology to stop fentanyl trafficking and give the president new authorities to restrict the border crossing.
On a letter sent Sunday to Senate Democratic offices, Schumer acknowledged the bill will likely fail again, but said it gives Democrats a chance to show they are trying to secure the border — an issue on which they are considered weak by many voters.
The bill had the support of the National Border Patrol Council union, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the conservative editorial board of the Wall Street Journal when it was initially proposed.
“By an objective measure, it is strong and realistic and, most importantly, a bipartisan proposal. If our bipartisan bill was good enough to win the support of the union that represents border agents, why isn’t it good enough for Senate Republicans?” Schumer said.
In February, after months of negotiation, both sides agreed that the border provision had to be included in a broader foreign aid bill that would give money to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
However, the bill stalled after former President Donald Trump told Republicans not to support it, even though it contained several border security measures they sought. All but four Republicans voted to block the bill.
Schumer accused Trump of wanting to undermine the bill in an effort to keep the border debate alive to benefit his campaign.
GOP Hopes to Block Border Bill Again
However, Republican leaders called the bill politically motivated with no real solutions, arguing it makes the border less secure.
“It’s pretty obvious that it’s not likely to pass the Senate and it certainly wouldn’t pass the House. So what’s left for the president to do is what he can do alone, and he should do everything he can alone,” McConnell said.
On Monday, President Joe Biden urged House and Senate Republican leaders to support the bill.
In appeals to Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Biden called on congressional Republicans to “stop playing politics” and quickly pass the legislation, the White House said.
Bill would be ‘dead on arrival’: Johnson
While previous legislation was tied to U.S. foreign aid, this bill would stand alone.
“If it reached the House, the bill would be dead on arrival,” Johnson and House Republican leadership wrote in a joint statement.
The revived bill faces a difficult road ahead, with Republicans still firmly against it. Both parties are positioning themselves before the 2024 elections, when control of the White House and Congress will be at stake.
NewsNation correspondent Joe Khalil, digital producer Damita Menezes and Reuters contributed to this report.
