In a key vote on Wednesday, Senate Republicans moved to block the long-anticipated bipartisan border deal, which ties border-security provisions to aid for both Israel and Ukraine.
The bill was blocked in a 49 to 50 procedural vote, with only four Republicans joining Democrats in backing the legislation. The bill needed 60 votes to advance.
This setback comes after months of negotiations between Senate Republicans and Democrats on a measure President Joe Biden strongly requested. While the GOP wants more resources allocated toward the southern border, House Republicans and former president Donald Trump have made it clear they don’t want the legislation tied to foreign aid.
Hours after the bill’s details were revealed Sunday night, House GOP leaders rejected the package and declared it “DEAD on arrival in the House.”
Trump, who has made the border crisis a central issue of his 2024 presidential campaign, also weighed in on the border deal earlier this week. “Don’t be STUPID!!! We need a separate Border and Immigration Bill. It should not be tied to foreign aid in any way, shape, or form!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Before the Senate voted on the matter, Biden blamed Trump for Republicans’ fierce opposition to the bill.
“Now, all indications are this bill won’t even move forward to the Senate floor,” Biden said Tuesday. “Why? A simple reason: Donald Trump.”
“Because Donald Trump thinks it’s bad for him politically, even though it helps the country. He’d rather weaponize the issue than actually solve it,” he continued, claiming Trump threatened Republican lawmakers to vote against the measure.
“And looks like they’re caving,” Biden said. “Frankly, they owe it to the American people to show some spine and do what they know to be right.”
The $118 billion Senate proposal includes about $60 billion in Ukraine funding, $14 billion in Israel aid, and $20 billion in border-security improvements, among various other items listed in the legislative package.
Senators James Lankford of Oklahoma, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Mitt Romney of Utah were the only Republicans to vote in favor of the bill on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Democratic senators Alex Padilla of California, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Ed Markey of Massachusetts voted against the measure, as did independent senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Notably, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) initially voted in favor of the bill but changed his vote to ensure he could raise the measure again in the future.
The Senate was expected to hold a procedural vote later Wednesday on a stand-alone foreign-aid bill without the border-security provisions, but the upper chamber lacked the 60 votes needed to proceed with the package. The vote is now scheduled for Thursday afternoon.