Biden’s Security Package in Jeopardy as Senate Negotiations Collapse
The White House’s push for a national security package, including aid to Israel and Ukraine, is in peril after Senate negotiations on immigration faltered on Friday. As Republicans threaten to filibuster Biden’s aid package, the border policy deal led by Sen. James Lankford and Sen. Chris Murphy faltered on Friday because of deep disagreements between the two parties.
The Democratic aide involved in the negotiations claimed that their side had offered proposals to expedite and streamline processing of asylum claims, including changes to the “credible fear” standard. However, the aide stated that Republicans are demanding “extreme policies” that would “end asylum as we know it” and create “expansive powers to shut down the border.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed that Republicans are demanding hard-right immigration measures fueled by former President Donald Trump and Stephen Miller.
Despite the hurdles, Lankford expressed his determination to continue working on finding a solution to the issue. However, a Democrat familiar with the negotiations accused Republicans of demanding Pentagon detention camps on U.S. military bases and mandatory detention policies that would subject children to prolonged detention with their families. On the other hand, Kyrsten Sinema, involved in the talks, refuted these claims and emphasized the difficulty of reaching an agreement given the contrasting positions between the Democrats and Republicans on the border.
Furthermore, despite the Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s support for the Ukraine aid, the resolution of the matter depends on whether Senate Democrats and the White House will negotiate reasonably. Nevertheless, if the package fails, it will result in severe consequences, including impacting humanitarian aid to Ukraine and support to Israel’s efforts against Hamas. White House budget director Shalanda Young has urged Congress to approve the foreign aid funding quickly, stating that resources for procurement of weapons and equipment for Ukraine will run out by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson is facing pressure from hard-liners to reject any immigration proposal short of the House GOP’s aggressive border bill, known as H.R. 2.
In conclusion, the collapse of Senate immigration negotiations appears to significantly jeopardize the national security package as well as the aid to Israel and Ukraine. The situation is further complicated by the intense disagreements between the Democrats and Republicans, which puts the urgent foreign aid funding in a precarious position. This has led to escalating challenges for Biden and his administration to navigate the complexities of the negotiations and bipartisan issues within Congress.
