Schumer postpones the vacation and pushes for a border deal to free up aid to Ukraine
Senate Democrats announced Thursday they would postpone their upcoming vacation and remain in Washington next week to push for passage of a bill that would tie military aid to Ukraine to a crackdown on migration at the U.S. border with Mexico. the talks reported progress toward a compromise.
The move, announced by Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, was an attempt by Democrats to intensify pressure on Republicans to drop their opposition to the Ukraine financing bill after Republican Party leaders gave Washington a had left for years without taking action. matter. It also reflected new optimism among Senate negotiators, who had been fighting over a border enforcement package that they were closing in on — and a determination by Democrats to show the public they were doing everything they could to reach a deal.
“If we believe something is important and urgent, we have to stay and get the job done,” Schumer said on the Senate floor, calling on White House officials and senators in both parties to work through the weekend to achieve a border agreement. Whether they could or not, he added, there would be another vote on the $110.5 billion security package next week. Republicans blocked that measure last week because it did not entail the desired changes in immigration policy.
Even if the Senate can reach agreement within days on one of the most intractable issues Congress has faced and advance the Ukraine bill, the measure would still face an uphill battle. Speaker Mike Johnson, who is not involved in the border talks, threw cold water on the idea of quick action.
“The House will not delay in receiving and discussing a rushed product,” he said in a statement Thursday evening.
And many Republican senators — including some of those closest to the negotiations — said they were skeptical about the possibility of striking a deal before Christmas.
“It’s a tall order,” said Senator Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina. Other Republicans are questioning the idea that they would even return next week.
In the absence of an agreement, White House officials and Democrats on Capitol Hill accused Republicans in the House of Representatives of abandoning Ukraine at a critical time.
“They’re going home for the holidays, while the Ukrainians are jumping right back into the fight,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. The Ukrainians “need our help now – not after the lawyer.”
Still, in recent days, as White House aides and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas joined behind-closed-doors discussions in the Senate on a tougher border policy, there has been a growing sense that a deal could be possible. Negotiators have discussed increased detention of migrants at the border and a policy known as expedited removal, which would allow migrants to be quickly deported before they can seek asylum.
These proposals have sparked pushback from pro-immigrant lawmakers, who have warned Senate Democrats and the White House against striking a deal to save Ukraine at the expense of migrants.
“They are cruel and inhumane,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington, said of some of the border enforcement proposals under discussion. “If we want to tackle immigration, we have to deal with it the right way, not as a ransom.”
But many Democrats appeared to have made peace with the idea of tough new immigration restrictions, essentially accepting the Republican Party’s argument that Congress could no longer delay tackling the border crisis.
“Changes need to be made to our policies at the border. What we are seeing right now is unsustainable,” Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois and the majority whip, told reporters, noting that “it is inevitable if we are going to change policy at the border, there will be critics on the Democratic side. ”
Negotiators said they would continue working through the weekend.
“We’re going to work as long as there’s daylight,” said Senator James Lankford, Republican of Oklahoma and chief negotiator for the Republican Party.
“This means we’re going to lock everyone in a room this weekend and see how far they can go,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland.
Because of opposition within their own party, Democrats would likely need the support of at least 20 Republicans for a deal. Many are reluctant to support something they fear will fail in the House of Representatives, where Republican leaders have said they want to see a more restrictive border policy than what is currently on the table in Senate negotiations.
Some Republican senators warned Mr. Schumer against trying to push a deal through the Senate just to meet a deadline before the holidays.
“There’s no way you can come to an agreement, draft legislation, get the text together and then actually give people enough time to read it,” said Senator J.D. Vance, Republican of Ohio. If Mr. Schumer goes ahead with his plans, he added, “you are going to have an insurrection on the Republican side.”
Zolan Kanno-Youngs reporting contributed.