President Joe Biden is making a cold calculation about his priorities, trading a pivot to the right on immigration in exchange for more money to help Ukraine repel Russia.
But the potential deal, which is already angering his progressive base, is not coming easy and will have to wait until next year.
“There’s no way,” Senate Minority Whip John Thune told CNN’s Manu Raju about the prospect of a deal before the holidays.
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump is driving Republicans further to the right with increasingly harsh language demonizing migrants, perhaps complicating a search for some middle ground in the nation’s capital.
Senators struggled to finalize an elusive bipartisan deal that would see Democrats swap the billions in foreign aid money sought by Biden in exchange for a border policy that harkens back to Trump’s administration.
Republicans have been hammering Biden’s entire presidency about the need to address surges in border crossings with further restrictions on those seeking asylum.
Texas takes immigration matters into its own hands
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday signed a controversial law that would make entering the state illegally a state crime and give Texas law enforcement the power to arrest migrants.
The law is expected to take effect in March, so expect a court fight next year. The US Supreme Court has previously affirmed federal oversight of immigration matters.
The more immediate question of a new federal border policy agreement also seems likely to stretch into next year.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer delayed the chamber’s holiday break for a few days into this week in order to buckle down on the immigration-changes-for-Ukraine-aid deal. Lawmakers will still manage to leave town with a massive to-do list and…
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