Senate border negotiations forge ahead despite pressure from Trump
A bipartisan deal that would pair assistance to Ukraine and Israel with measures to improve border security is facing serious political threats as negotiators aim to finalize a deal.
The talks seemed on the verge of collapse Wednesday after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suggested the politics around the agreement have shifted, but negotiators have vowed to forge ahead.
Punchbowl News first reported that McConnell told Republican senators the politics "have changed" because former President Trump wants to build his reelection campaign around immigration. "We don't want to do anything to undermine him," McConnell reportedly said.
A spokesperson for the minority leader did not dispute the Punchbowl report when NPR asked for comment.
McConnell's comments deflated hopes that a deal could be made public this week. Negotiators told reporters as early as Monday that they were nearing a final agreement on outstanding issues like parole for asylum seekers.
But McConnell appeared to back away from his comments on Thursday, telling reporters he still supports the talks.
The border agreement has been explicitly tied to security funding for Israel and Ukraine and any failure could threaten chances of Congress passing that aid. President Biden agreed to couple his funding request with border security elements at the behest of Republicans, including McConnell.
Deputy White House Press Secretary Olivia Dalton told reporters Thursday that the White House remains committed to getting deal on border and national security funding.
"The president has been clear, we need action on the border," Dalton told reporters aboard Air Force One. "We've been engaging in good faith, bipartisan negotiations with both Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans to that end. And we believe that there's no reason that shouldn't continue."
Negotiators refuse to give up hope
Still, senators on both sides of the aisle insisted Thursday that the deal is not dead. Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford, the lead Republican involved in the talks, said negotiations were still moving forward, and that McConnell was acknowledging the "political realities" of the situation, but not suggesting the deal be abandoned.
"We started this in October, and it's not October anymore," Lankford said. "You know, it's now January. The end of January. And we're in the middle of a presidential primary season ... that's just a reality."
Sen. Chris Murphy, the lead Democrat involved in negotiations, said he has not spoken to McConnell about his comments, but reiterated that "talks are ongoing."
"I think the Republican conference is going to make a decision in the next 24 hours as to whether they actually want to get something done or whether they want to leave the border a mess for political reasons," said Murphy, D-Conn.
Trump's influence over GOP policymaking
While text of an agreement has not yet been released, Trump spoke out against a bipartisan framework last week, writing on his social media site, Truth Social: I do not think we should do a Border Deal, at all, unless we get EVERYTHING needed to shut down the INVASION of Millions & Millions of people, many from parts unknown, into our once great, but soon to be great again, Country!"
He added that House Speaker Mike Johnson should only accept a deal that is "perfect."
Trump's comments comments were a serious blow to the talks. Significant border provisions were meant to garner Republican support for Ukraine assistance, which the party has increasingly soured on. House Republicans in particular have little appetite for more Ukraine aid, and have been insisting that the Senate take up a border bill they previously passed — without a single Democratic vote — instead of working on a bipartisan one.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who supports aid for Ukraine, stressed that Thursday his state "can't continue to absorb" the number of migrants currently crossing the border, which hit a record high of 2.5 million people last year.
"President Trump, you know, obviously he's an important voice but we have a job to do. And we intend to do it," Cornyn said. "Some people are saying, 'well you know, we can't give President Biden a win, because he desperately needs this.' But the magnitude of this problem is so great that this is not going to be all of a sudden fixed here in the next 10 months."
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Transcript
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Now to Capitol Hill, where bipartisan talks in the Senate on U.S.-Mexico border security are at risk of collapsing. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated to fellow Republicans that it might not be possible to advance legislation if it is opposed by former President Trump. A potential border security deal is expected to carry with it long-delayed aid for Ukraine. And that is also at risk because most Republicans say they will not support Ukraine aid without a border deal. NPR political correspondent Susan Davis is in the studio now for the latest. Hi, Sue.
SUSAN DAVIS, BYLINE: Hey, Juana.
SUMMERS: So, Sue, I mean, these negotiations have been going on for weeks and were making progress by all accounts. And Mitch McConnell is no ally of Donald Trump. So help me understand. What exactly has changed here?
DAVIS: Donald Trump won the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday. And even reluctant corners of the party are coalescing around him as their nominee. And it is shifting the calculus on Capitol Hill. McConnell met with Republicans behind closed doors yesterday, and he acknowledged that the politics around this have changed. And he said, quote, "we don't want to do anything to undermine him," him being Donald Trump. To be clear, McConnell wants a deal here, but he's pretty clear-eyed about the political realities. Chris Murphy - he's a Democrat from Connecticut. He's been leading these talks with James Lankford, the Republican from Oklahoma. He was asked about McConnell's comments, and this morning he said Republicans are going to have to make a decision soon.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
CHRIS MURPHY: I think the Republican conference is going to make a decision in the next 24 hours as to whether they actually want to get something done or whether they want to leave the border a mess for political reasons.
DAVIS: Murphy and Lankford say they're close to a deal. McConnell appeared to backtrack on those comments a little bit today, saying he supports the talks continuing. And remember, Juana; this entire negotiation was requested by Republicans who said they wouldn't support Ukraine aid without a border deal. And they're getting a lot of concessions here. So if they walk away, it could be seen as a purely political calculation.
SUMMERS: Sue, I've got a question for you about the politics of all of this. I mean, what exactly is the political incentive for Republicans here to not reach a deal, given we know how important border security and immigration issues are to the Republican base?
DAVIS: You know, if Republicans help deliver a substantial border security bill win for President Biden, it would inoculate him from some of these political attacks, and the party would also take co-ownership of the problem at the border. Trump has been campaigning against Biden as weak on issues of national security and border security, and he does not want a House Republican majority to give Biden any substantial policy wins leading up to this election. You know, just last week on the Truth Social platform, Trump said Republicans should oppose any deal that doesn't meet every single Republican demand. And even if there's still a bipartisan deal to be had in the Senate, they need at least nine Republicans. It could be headed into a buzz saw in the House. Speaker Mike Johnson has indicated he's not likely to bring something to the floor that Donald Trump opposes. And he said he speaks frequently with Trump on this very matter.
SUMMERS: Which leads me to a question here on the funding for Ukraine. If indeed there is no border deal, does that just mean Ukraine aid is completely off the table?
DAVIS: You know, Lankford said as much to reporters today. No border deal likely could mean no Ukraine money. A caveat here is some Republican senators have indicated they could support Ukraine money if it was offset with spending cuts elsewhere. But $60 billion is an awful lot of money to offset. McConnell also really wants a Ukraine deal. He wants this money for Ukraine. He's been pushing for it for months. He says it's vital to U.S. national interests. There is likely bipartisan support for Ukraine aid in both chambers if they can reach a compromise. But this week is a good reminder that this is not Mitch McConnell's party anymore.
SUMMERS: NPR's Susan Davis. Sue, thank you.
DAVIS: You're welcome.
(SOUNDBITE OF MELANIE MARTINEZ SONG, "VOID") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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