The border agreement has failed in the Senate. As senators such as Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) anticipated, the bill did not obtain the necessary votes to advance to a full debate on the Senate floor. While the vote was largely divided along party lines, four Republicans voted in favor, while five Democrats leaned against.
Wednesday afternoon saw the procedural vote on the controversial border agreement. This vote is necessary for a bill to advance to an official vote. In this case, there were 49 votes in favor and 50 against.
As for the GOP, Susan Collins (R-Maine.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) voted yes, while Democrats Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) , Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) voted against. This last group was joined by independent Bernie Sanders and Democratic majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who voted this way so the legislation can be reconsidered in the coming weeks.
BREAKING NEWS: Bipartisan Border Bill With Foreign Aid Supplemental Fails In Senate. pic.twitter.com/pqVcdFJzyO
— 1776 (@TheWakeninq) February 7, 2024
Schumer also indicated that he intends to approve a Plan B that contains aid for Israel, Ukraine and other international items without including a section on the southern border.
The development marked a dramatic shift among Senate Republicans, who for months have insisted that any funding for Ukraine must be accompanied by reforms to secure the border.
How the border agreement fell apart
Lankford had originally been tasked by Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) with negotiating with the White House to draft a border agreement. After months of negotiations, the Senate unveiled the agreement but was met with criticism from Republicans and some Democrats.
Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), John Neely Kennedy (R-La.), and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) were among the Republicans who publicly condemned the legislation.
As reported by The Hill, the law would have raised the bar for immigrants seeking asylum and granted Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas emergency powers to deport immigrants.
In turn, it would have provided $6.8 billion to Customs and Border Protection, $7.6 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and $4 billion to Citizenship and Immigration Services.
