Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) intends to push for a fast-tracked vote on the undisclosed border bill that has been under negotiation by senators in recent months.
According to reports, a small group of senators from both parties has reached a compromise on a border security bill. If the bill is passed and implemented by President Joe Biden’s administration, it is expected to significantly reduce the ongoing issue of illegal immigration, which has been a concern for the past three years.
However, the complete text and intricate details of the legislation have not yet been made public. Despite this, Schumer has announced his intention to expedite the process and bring the bill to a vote within a few days, as reported by Breitbart.
The comprehensive content of the negotiated legislation, which has been linked to additional defense funding for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, will supposedly be revealed to the public and the rest of the senators to review at some point during the weekend, although the exact timing remains unspecified. As reported by The Hill, Senator Schumer addressed his colleagues on Thursday, sharing this information.
“I want members to be aware that we plan to post the full text of the national security supplemental as early as tomorrow, no later than Sunday.”
“That will give members plenty of time to read the bill before voting on it,” the Democrat leader laughably added, given that initial procedural votes on the as-yet-unseen bill will begin on Monday and continue throughout the week.
“As for the timing of the vote, I plan to file cloture on the motion to proceed to the vehicle by Monday, leading to the first vote on the national security supplemental no later than Wednesday,” Schumer added.
Schumer has engaged in private negotiations with Sens. James Lankford (R-OK), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), and Chris Murphy (D-CT) regarding the bill. The request made by the Democratic leader to GOP senators is particularly challenging. Axios reports that leaked details of the border security bill have already rendered it a non-starter and “dead on arrival” in the Republican-led House. The bill supposedly mandates the complete closure of the border, with a few exceptions, if daily illegal crossings exceed 5,000 per day. This would equate to approximately 1.8 million permitted illegal entrants per year if left unchecked.
Additionally, the bill proposes harsher penalties for illegal border crossers, a streamlined asylum claim process, and a reduction in parole releases, among other measures. Interestingly, not only rank-and-file Republicans but also a surprising number of House Democrats oppose the bill, as reported by The Hill.
While Biden and Senate leaders from both parties have praised the border compromise bill, some members of the Democratic Hispanic Caucus and progressives have criticized it for being too harsh and for excluding them from the negotiation process. This ironic situation could potentially result in the measure being rejected by a temporary alliance of conservatives and progressives, albeit for opposing reasons.
There are rumors we could finally see a text of the mysterious “border deal” (that doesn’t secure the border) in the next 24 hours.
Remember: GOP conference passed my resolution that we need time to debate and amend whatever bill we’re given.
A single weekend doesn’t count.
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) February 1, 2024