Senators Announce Opposition To Border Bill

A significant number of members of Congress announced their opposition to the proposed bipartisan border bill proposed earlier this week. Although the bill includes additional border funding, many conservatives argue that the bill codifies the Biden administration’s approach to the border and allows an unacceptably high number of migrants to enter the country.

Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) is the latest senator to turn against the proposed border bill, arguing that it “does not meet most Americans’ standard of securing our border now.”

Barrasso said that President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats “fought against every attempt to protect Americans from the crisis at our Southern Border.”

“In those three years, there have been 8.8 million illegal border crossings. Joe Biden’s surrender to cartels, drug dealers and criminals has made every American less safe,” he said.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) also recommended that Senate Republicans not bring the bill to a floor vote. It was also unclear whether or not Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) would vote to advance the bill, even though he was a primary backer of the bill.

A number of other Republican senators made statements against the proposed bill, including Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and J.D. Vance (R-OH). Senators expressed their dismay that the bill does not stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the country and point out that migrants not from Mexico or Canada are not counted toward the proposed migrant cap needed before shutting down the border.

Among the criticisms of the bill, some Republicans point to elements that do not have anything to do with border security. The bill would include substantial aid for Ukraine and Israel to aid their war efforts.

The Senate border bill would:

– Give $60 billion in unaccountable aid to Ukraine
– Spend billions to reimburse (reward) sanctuary cities and NGOs for enabling the border crisis
– Allow about 2 million illegal aliens in per year

What it doesn’t do: secure the border.@lora_ries pic.twitter.com/f5b7cijn0q

— Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) February 6, 2024

Furthermore, the bill itself would spend billions to empower non-profits that traditionally have aided migrant groups both within and outside of the United States.

It also empowers Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to make some decisions about allowing migrants to remain in the United States. Mayorkas is currently undergoing impeachment procedures due to what many Republicans describe as a violation of his oath of office regarding border security.