Republican opposition continued to grow Tuesday against a $118 billion bipartisan border deal and foreign aid package ahead of a key vote in the Senate.
The bill is now on track to fail, as GOP infighting threatens to steamroll any congressional response to the border as well put aid to Ukraine and Israel in jeopardy.
Despite containing policy aimed at toughening border restrictions pushed for by conservatives, the deal has faced relentless attacks from former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican who has said the bill would be dead on arrival in his chamber – if it ever makes it out of the Senate. Trump, who is hoping to make immigration a key plank of his presidential campaign, has suggested on Truth Social that approving additional resources for the border would make Republicans “look bad.”
Two high-ranking members of Senate GOP leadership – John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican, and John Barrasso, the No. 3 Senate Republican – announced that they will vote against the measure in an initial procedural vote on Wednesday, the latest blow to a deal that was negotiated by Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, one of the most conservative senators, along with Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut.
A majority of Senate Republicans are now either actively planning to vote “no” during the first procedural vote on the package Wednesday or leaning against the bill. Many Republicans have attacked the policy directly, and some have argued there should be more time to consider, debate and amend the bill after it was released on Sunday evening.
Thune, the Senate GOP whip, said that he plans to vote against proceeding to the bill on Wednesday and said bluntly that blocking the package will be the…
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