Democrats are offering Republicans a border security option. Will GOP lawmakers play ball?

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., teed up the first vote on a foreign aid package and put a new offer on the table for Republicans: An option to pitch sweeping border security measures for the legislation. Schumer's Tuesday proposal offered Republicans the first amendment to the supplemental package, which includes aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The offer is aimed at addressing demands from GOP lawmakers for more stringent border security provisions, as Democrats have pushed to address conflicts around the world. A group of Senate Republicans previously threatened to withhold their support from the aid package unless Congress included border security measures. Their demands came as President Joe Biden requested additional funding for the three countries, especially as the war between Ukraine and Russia continues and the the war between Israel and Hamas also rages on. Biden's proposal included some provisions to strengthen U.S. border security, but not enough for Republicans. Schumer said Tuesday he's giving Republicans a "golden opportunity" by offering his colleagues on the other side of the aisle the first amendment to the package to address border security. "We must get aid to Ukraine, and so we cannot wait," Schumer said. The amendment would need the standard 60 votes to pass, and if Republicans can't get it across the finish line, Schumer said the Senate will move forward with voting on Ukraine aid separately. "This is an historic moment and it cannot be delayed any longer," he said. But the leader in the upper chamber explained that he's hopeful the Senate can pass the aid package before the end of the year − with his proposal. Get the On Politics newsletter in your inbox. Get in the conversation with political analysis, election news and breaking insights from our politics team. Delivery: Mon - Thu Your Email “Let's remember here, it was the Republicans who put border on the table,” he said. "We did not. They have a responsibility if they believe border should be part of Ukraine... let them propose an amendment that can get 60 votes." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has been a strong supporter of passing aid to Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel, but he urged his Republican colleagues on Tuesday to oppose any procedural votes advancing the supplemental package without "meaningful changes" to border security funding. “Now is the time to pay attention to our own border in addition to these other important international concerns,” he said Tuesday. When asked about Schumer's proposal, McConnell added: "They don't want to deal with border security in the context of the supplemental. We do because that will guarantee an outcome." What are Republicans' demands? Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., passes through a hallway at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 4, 2023 in Washington, D.C. Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and James Lankford, R-Okla., released a proposal last month that would make it harder for migrants to enter the country by seeking humanitarian asylum. Those arriving at the U.S. border would only be allowed asylum if they could show they stopped at one other country between the U.S. and their home country and were denied entry. The plan would also require migrants prove it's “more likely than not” they would face persecution in their home, rather than the current standard that they face the “significant possibility” of danger. Migrants would also be ineligible for asylum if they have been convicted of felonies or other “serious crimes,” including certain drug offenses or driving under the influence. Graham opened a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday morning with FBI Director Christopher Wray with a fiery speech about the need for greater security along the southern border. The South Carolina senator vowed Republicans would remain united to prevent additional funding for Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel, unless provisions targeting immigration and the border were included as a “fourth plank” of the legislation. “We’re wildly apart,” Graham said of the negotiations, prior to Schumer's amendment proposal. Senate Republicans have been divided over funding for Ukraine, but two-thirds of them would support it if border security were tightened, Graham said. “We are united over here,” Graham said. “The consequences of this will be devastating for the world.” House Speaker Mike Johnson hits out: Aid package 'must begin with our own border' Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., walks with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on their way to a meeting at the U.S. Capitol November 29, 2023 in Washington, D.C. In the House, newly elected Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has reiterated he will not bring up a foreign aid bill if it doesn't includes the House GOP's border security proposal passed earlier this year. That legislation includes provisions that would restore construction on a southwest border wall and slow asylum access. "House Republicans have resolved that any national security supplemental package must begin with our own border," Johnson wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Schumer on Tuesday acknowledged that Johnson reiterated the House would not take up the supplemental without meeting border security demands. "Immediately, I told him that's a non-starter," Schumer said. "We wouldn't even bring it to the floor of the Senate." Time is running short for both chambers to come to an agreement. The Biden administration warned Congress this week that the U.S. will run out of funding to continue to provide assistance to Ukraine by the end of the year. Contributing: Riley Beggin, USA TODAY For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.