Speaker Mike Johnson dealt the latest blow to the chances of the national security supplemental by announcing on Friday that any potential Senate border agreement on the immigration bill could be “dead on arrival,” in the chamber.
The “Dear Colleague” letter concludes a week that exposed the rifts among Republicans that could destroy any bipartisan agreement that Senate negotiators, who have committed to working through the weekend to try to reach a final deal, may eventually produce on funding and policy changes related to the U.S.-Mexico border.
The route to more supplementary financing for national security has become more difficult in recent days as senators have moved closer to a border compromise that is essential to releasing billions of dollars of help for Israel, Ukraine, and the Indo-Pacific region.
Why The Immigration Bill Could Be “Dead on Arrival”
In his letter, Johnson described the Senate as “unable to reach agreement” in his letter.
He wrote to House Republican colleagues, “If the rumours about the draft proposal’s contents are true, it would have been dead on arrival in the House anyway.” To be abreast with the details, checkout the Joe Biden immigration landslide details.
Allegations that a dozen employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency may have participated in Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7 further complicated the course for the national security supplemental. In response to those accusations, the State Department has stopped supporting UNRWA further, according to a statement released by the organization on Friday.
Overshadowing the negotiations, former president Donald Trump has been overtly pressuring Republican lawmakers to accept nothing less than a “perfect” solution to the flood of migrants at the southern border of the United States. As the 2024 election season heats up, the pressure influences a Senate Republican conference behind closed doors on Wednesday evening. Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader from Kentucky, acknowledged the presumed GOP nominee has power over the process.
Democrats and Republicans pledged to carry on with their talks. Still, they acknowledged that they have reached “a critical moment,” as South Dakota senator John Thune, the second-ranking Republican in the chamber, put it.
According to Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, if the rumoured leaks concerning the proposal were accurate, it would have been “dead on arrival in the House.” The bill’s text has yet to be made public by the core group of senators negotiating it. Still, Republicans have already attacked it, with Donald Trump—the front-runner for the presidency—calling it a political “gift” to Democrats.
The claims are expected to be a major factor in the oversight and accountability panel of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s hearing on UNRWA next week.
However, discussions over the bill’s specifics in conservative media and advocacy groups have centred on the provisions meant to assist immigrants who are currently residing in the nation.
