WASHINGTON – Members of Congress left the Capitol on Thursday without an agreement on sought-after changes to immigration policy tied to aid for Ukraine and Israel, leaving them with just a week to resolve the dispute before lawmakers leave for a three-week holiday recess.
Negotiations among a small group of senators are expected to continue throughout the three-day weekend, although the chances of Democrats and Republicans reaching a deal this year are slim.
That will leave billions in aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan on hold until talks resume in 2024. Both the House and Senate are due to leave for their winter recess on 14 December. And national security officials have stressed the importance of getting more military aid to Ukraine and Israel approved this year.
North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis said GOP negotiators would present their latest offer to Democrats on Thursday, but he warned there were many areas where lawmakers still needed to reach agreement.
“These are things that we can honestly go to our Republican members, look them in the eye and attest to the fact that we’re going to have a dramatic reduction in the flow across the border on an almost immediate basis,” Tillis said.
“Anything less than that is going to be very difficult to get a majority of our conference, and we’re not moving this bill without a majority of our conference,” he added.
Even if Democrats accept that offer, Tillis said, staff would then have to draft legislative language and make sure it matches what everyone agreed to in talks.
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said Republicans shared new ideas with him and other negotiators on Thursday, though he wasn’t sure if those proposals would lead to a deal.
“I’m willing to keep talking if these ideas are constructive, but they’ve got to move us closer to getting Democratic votes,” Murphy said. “So far, we’ve seen proposals that can get a lot of Republican votes and no Democratic votes.”
Murphy said he remained willing to compromise on policy issues and said he hoped negotiators would “get to a place this weekend where both sides are willing to compromise”.
Biden remarks noted
President Joe Biden’s statement Wednesday that he is “willing to make significant compromises on the border” could help move talks forward, according to Oklahoma Republican Senator James Lankford.
“We’ve always been a nation open to immigration. We’ve got to be able to stay that way,” Lankford said. “But as legislators, we should probably think that the law is important. And if we as legislators don’t think the law is important, then we need to be able to fix that.”
Lankford argued that it was the Biden administration that tied border security and immigration policy to additional funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan when the White House sent Congress an emergency spending request that included all four areas.
The White House called its funding request for US border security a “tourniquet” and said what was really needed were policy changes, Lankford said.
But resolving differences over who should be allowed to immigrate to the United States and under what circumstances has eluded lawmakers for about 30 years, making these negotiations particularly challenging, Lankford said.
Speaker’s letter
House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote in a “Dear Colleague” letter released Thursday that any legislation to help Ukraine resist Russia must be tied to changes in border and immigration policy.
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, wrote that while House Republicans “understand the very real security threats in theatres around the world, yesterday’s failed Senate vote demonstrated that there is no path forward on Ukraine funding without meaningful, transformative policy changes on our southern border.”
“In addition, as I have repeatedly said, the House of Representatives passed funding for Israel on a bipartisan basis over a month ago,” Johnson added, referring to a bill that cut funding for the Internal Revenue Service to pay for the aid. “I remain hopeful that we can find reasonable partners on the other side who recognise this reality and are willing to reach consensus on these urgent matters.”
Senators on Wednesday failed to advance a $110.5 billion spending package that would have boosted funding for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and US border security.
The failed procedural vote on the bill came amid a cooler moment in talks between Democrats and Republicans on border security policy. Those talks appeared to be back in full swing on Thursday.
But it remained unclear whether a deal would be reached in the final week that lawmakers are scheduled to be in Washington, D.C., this year.
It was also not entirely clear how a lack of additional funding for Ukraine and Israel could affect the stability of those countries in the midst of ongoing wars.
‘Seize a new opportunity’
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, said on Thursday he hoped the failed procedural vote would allow senators to “seize a new opportunity to make real progress on legislation that addresses urgent national security priorities – both at home and abroad”.
“I know that many of our Democratic colleagues recognise the urgency of this crisis. I know many of them are willing to help restore sanity to our southern border,” McConnell said. “Well, Senator Lankford, Senator (Lindsey) Graham and other Republican colleagues are still working hard to do just that. And there’s no time like the present to join them in that effort.
Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley, who is not actively involved in the negotiations, said at a press conference on Thursday that it’s “common sense” to “secure the border”.
“We need some policy changes, and that’s what this debate is about,” he said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said Republican negotiators needed to be more serious about the offers they were making.
“Both sides have to accept that we have to compromise on things that are important to each side if we have any hope of passing this supplemental,” Schumer said.
“Let me say, we Democrats very much – very much – want a deal,” he said. “We are willing to make compromises and concessions to meet our Republican colleagues as long as they are willing to do the same.”
