Bipartisan border, Ukraine deal looks set to fail in US Senate

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan effort to tighten border security and provide aid to allies Ukraine and Israel was headed for defeat in the US Senate on Feb 7, after Republicans egged on by former president Donald Trump turned against the idea.

The Bill would represent the biggest shift in US immigration policy in decades, reflecting heightened public concern about the massive number of migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border. It also would deliver US$60 billion (S$80 billion) to Ukraine as it fights off a Russian invasion and US$14 billion for Israel in its war with Hamas.

But Republicans have made clear they will vote against it, even though it contains many of their top priorities.

Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden, has urged lawmakers to reject any compromise, and Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson has said Bill would be “dead on arrival” in his chamber.

The Senate’s top Republican, Mr Mitch McConnell, who has long advocated the deal, has said it does not have enough votes to pass.

Nevertheless, Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer has scheduled a vote to advance the Bill at 1pm (2am on Feb 8, Singapore time).

Concerns over immigration have become a top issue in this year’s election campaign, and Mr Biden has blamed Trump for the deal’s collapse.

If the Bill fails in the Senate as expected, Mr Schumer plans to follow with another vote on a package that would provide aid for Ukraine, Israel and other allies without the border provisions, according to an aide. It is not clear that Bill would succeed either.

Mr Johnson, meanwhile, said on Feb 7 he will hold another vote to impeach Mr Biden’s top border official, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, after a first attempt failed in a 214-216 vote on Feb 6.

“It was a mess what happened here, but we’re cleaning it up,” he told reporters on Feb 7.

Mr Johnson has denied that his opposition to the Bill is political and aimed at helping Trump’s presidential campaign by denying Mr Biden a win on the contentious issue. He says a provision that would allow authorities to temporarily shut the border to most migrants if more than 5,000 people try to enter per day is inadequate.

Republicans have previously sunk bipartisan efforts to overhaul immigration laws in 2013 and 2014.

With suspense over the fate of the legislation dissipating, Republicans have gone back to attacking Mr Biden’s immigration policies and dismissing a deal that was embraced by the conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board, the US Chamber of Commerce and the National Border Patrol Council, the labor union that represents about 18,000 US Border Patrol agents.

Some have said lawmakers should not tackle the issue until after the November elections, which will determine control of the White House and Congress.

“Americans will turn to the upcoming election to end the border crisis,” said Mr John Barrasso, the Senate’s No. 3 Republican. REUTERS