A Senate plan to send billions more in aid to Ukraine has encountered obstacles as Republicans demand reciprocal policy changes to stem unlawful migrants into the U.S., causing Biden to state his willingness to compromise.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) so far has been unable to guide the administration’s $110.5 billion national security supplemental package, almost $30 billion of which is intended for Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees, through the Senate, as he accused Republicans of failing to protect democracy.
“Our Republican friends are saying they’ll defend democracy only at a price unacceptable to Democrats,” Schumer said, referring to Republican demands on border security as akin to “hostage taking.”
The Republican side claims that the immigration crisis at the southern border has been out of control practically since Biden took office, with recent unlawful border crossings numbering over 8,000 a day. Such numbers of unlawful migrant arrivals have rarely been encountered, and their presence has increasingly created crises not just for Republicans but for Democrat-led cities overwhelmed by new arrivals, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Unlike the House, whose GOP contingent is full of those who do not back Ukraine, Senate Republicans are overwhelmingly hawkish towards Russia. The notion that Senate Republicans appear to be attempting to force the hand of Democrats to capitulate on border policy changes in order to get backing for Ukraine demonstrates how strongly the border crisis is registering with the American public.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who a year ago called helping Ukraine defeat Russia “the number one priority for the United States,” had this to say yesterday, according to The Wall Street Journal: “They don’t want to deal with border security in the context of the supplemental. We do, because we know that will guarantee an outcome,” said “We want it to actually happen. This is an opportunity.”
On Tuesday, Schumer attempted to pressure Republican senators to relent in a closed-door classified briefing with Lindsey Graham. Still, the effort backfired when Republicans steered the session toward border issues.
Lindsey Graham (R-SC), another GOP war hawk, posted on X, “The Biden Administration may not think our broken border presents a danger to our country, but I do. Ukraine. Israel. Taiwan. All important. All discussed at today’s briefing on the supplemental. I was dumbfounded when not one briefer – not one single person – was sent to talk about our broken border, how to fix it, and the national security implications if we don’t.
As the standoff continues, a procedural vote on the bill is expected on December 6. In a televised address in anticipation of the vote, President Biden slammed Republicans, whom he said “were willing to give Putin the greatest gift he could hope for.”
“Republicans think they can get everything they want without any bipartisan compromise,” Biden said. “That’s not the answer. That’s not the answer. And now they’re willing to literally kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield and damage our national security in the process.”
Biden then added that he is open to compromise on border policy. “I’m willing to make significant compromises on the border. We need to fix the broken border system. It is broken. And thus far I’ve gotten no response.”
