Feb. 5 (UPI) — A “monumental” bipartisan congressional deal on immigration and financial aid for conflicts in Ukraine and Israel has been called “dead on arrival” by the Republican leader of the House, even as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Monday urged passage of the plan.
On Sunday, the U.S. Senate released the details behind a long-awaited deal for Mexico-U.S. border security and aid for Ukraine totaling $118 billion, which is $14 billion more than President Joe Biden’s initial proposal.
The bill allocates $60 billion in Ukraine aid for its war with invading Russia, $14.1 billion for Israel’s security and and $20.23 billion for immigration issues at the Southwest border. The deal that was struck has many concessions by Democrats and seen as a win by and for many Republicans in Congress.
Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., hailed the bipartisan agreement as a “monumental step towards strengthening America’s national security abroad and along our border.”
Among many other changes, the bill allows the president to arbitrarily shut down the border and the establishes a temporary three-year “Border Emergency Authority.” The authority would allow Biden and the U.S. Homeland security secretary to “temporarily prohibit individuals from seeking asylum, with limited exceptions, when the Southwest Border is overwhelmed.”
However, former President Donald Trump attacked the border deal as too weak in what some are saying is a politically motivated charge intended to stall any progress at the border during the presidential election in a move to help Trump’s chance to win the November election.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Sunday that the Senate bill — negotiated by Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and conservative James Lankford, R-Okla. — is “dead on arrival” to the House.
Lankford called the deal a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” on social media.
“If Congress does nothing, Biden’s border stays open,” Lankford said Monday afternoon.
Also on Monday, the conservative U.S. Chamber of Commerce joined Lankford by applauding the bipartisan deal, as well, calling it “commonsense measures” and “desperately needed border security, asylum, and immigration reforms.”
But on X, Johnson said “I’ve seen enough. This bill is even worse than we expected.”
“The economic disruption and human suffering wrought by our border crisis have become so severe that Congress cannot afford to ignore these problems any longer,” Neil Bradley, the Chamber’s Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer said in Monday’s statement encouraging congressional passage of the plan.
In a Sunday statement, the White House urged Congress to “swiftly pass this bipartisan agreement” for Biden to sign it.
Vice President Kamala Harris pointed out that the bipartisan agreement “does not include everything we have fought for over the past three years,” and joined the president in calling on Congress to act.
“Unfortunately, we have too often been met with those who sought to play political games instead of participating in solutions,” Harris said in a statement.
The White House said that House Republicans lead by Johnson have to decide, “Do they want to solve the problem? Or do they want to keep playing politics with the border?”
