Three leading Senate Republicans appear to be wavering in their support for the long-awaited border security bill backed by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, as Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso announced his opposition to the deal on Tuesday.
The border proposals, included within the larger $118 billion national security supplemental package, would fund new immigration judges and law enforcement operations, as well as other provisions aimed at curbing the mass influx of illegal migrants. Barrasso is opposed to the legislation – negotiated by GOP Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, and Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona — as it “does not meet most Americans’ standard of securing the border now,” according to a press release obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“It doesn’t force the Biden administration to end its abuse of current law. It leaves in place a number of the Democrat-created incentives that are fueling the crisis,” Barrasso said in a statement. “President Biden and Senator Schumer will never accept the significant changes required for American safety and border security. Joe Biden will never enforce any new law and refuses to use the tools he already has today to end this crisis. I cannot vote for this bill. Americans will turn to the upcoming election to end the border crisis.”
Barrasso is the only Senate Republican in line to succeed McConnell as minority leader who said he won’t support the border deal, as Senate Minority Whip John Thune and Sen. John Cornyn haven’t decided whether to support the legislation, according to Politico.
However, Cornyn, who has previously expressed interest in replacing McConnell, said in a statement provided to the DCNF that he has “questions and serious concerns” regarding the deal now that the text has become available.
This provision sparked widespread backlash among Republicans who claimed the bill wouldn’t end the continuation of illegal immigration into the U.S.
Former President Donald Trump expressed his opposition to the deal in a Truth Social post on Monday, declaring that it is “a “great gift to the Democrats, and a Death Wish for The Republican Party.”
Both Barrasso and Cornyn, the former Senate majority whip, have endorsed Trump’s 2024 campaign, while Thune has said he’d support the former president if he’s the nominee.
House GOP leadership has also strongly come out against the legislation, with Speaker Mike Johnson declaring it “dead on arrival.” The Senate is expected to take up a procedural vote on the national security supplemental package Wednesday.
Thune did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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