A bipartisan border security bill failed to advance in the Senate on Thursday, garnering less support than when it was first considered in February. House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican leaders criticized the bill, calling it an "election year political stunt" and "worse than doing nothing."
The Senate voted 43-50 on Thursday against a border security bill backed by some Democrats and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The measure, negotiated by Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), and James Lankford (R-Okla.), fell short of the necessary 60 votes to advance.
Both Lankford and Sinema sided against their own legislation, a departure from their previous votes. Sinema denounced political theater on both sides of the aisle, accusing Republicans of turning their back on the bill and Democrats of bringing it up again without working to gain support.
Lankford also criticized Democrats for reviving the bill, calling it a political move. Schumer, however, argued that the border situation demands attention from Congress and that Democrats had worked with Republicans to craft a bipartisan solution.
Prior to the vote, House leadership, including Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, and Republican conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, said the bill would not see the light of day in the lower chamber. They called it "dead on arrival" and pointed to the H.R. 2 border legislation as a better solution.
H.R. 2, which includes many GOP priorities related to the southern border, was previously sent to the Senate. However, Schumer rejected calls to take up the bill, claiming it was "not designed to solve the problem" but rather to make a political point.
Republicans accused Democrats of resurrecting the border bill solely for political reasons, to protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents in swing states. Sen. Marsha Blackburn called it an "election year political stunt."
The border bill initially failed a procedural hurdle in February by a vote of 49-50. Since then, it has lost support from both Democrats and Republicans. This suggests a growing divide on immigration and border security within both parties.
Republicans have criticized the immigration provisions in the bill, arguing that they would incentivize illegal immigration and undermine border security. They have also pointed out that the bill does not address the root causes of migration, such as poverty and violence in Central America.
Senate Democrats defended the bill, arguing that it would provide a comprehensive solution to the border crisis. They claimed that the bill would address humanitarian concerns, increase border security, and provide a pathway to legalization for undocumented immigrants.
The failure of the border bill in the Senate leaves the status of border security uncertain. It remains to be seen whether Congress will be able to reach a compromise on immigration reform before the midterm elections.
