Senate Democrats acknowledge they're facing an uphill battle within their own ranks on the bipartisan border bill that leadership plans to bring to the floor later this week, Politico reported Tuesday.
Back in February it was a border security bill attached to foreign aid for Ukraine and Israel, namely, whereas now it's a standalone border bill that Republicans argue provides zero security.
One of the architects of the bill, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., is expecting less Democrat support this time. The bill failed to advance in February, 50-49, and it'll likely be worse this week.
"I suspect there are a couple Democrats who voted yes on that bill because of the Ukraine money," Murphy told Politico. "My guess is there will be more Democrats voting against it."
His Republican counterpart, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., has signaled he'll vote against it. And it's possible the measure will get zero GOP votes this week, according to Politico.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who voted for it in February, now calls it "dumb."
"The other side is now going to use it in a way to perhaps make some of their troubled incumbents in a better place," Murkowski told Politico. "But they don't really think that they can pass it. So it's just messaging on their side."
Likewise, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, questions whether this bill is "genuine" and Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, is calling it a "ploy," Politico reported. Both voted for it three months ago.
As Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., wrote in The Wall Street Journal, Democrats "aren't motivated by national security. They're concerned about their own political vulnerability. They've recognized, albeit too late, that the chaos of an open border is a political liability."
Even if it the measure did pass the Senate, House Republicans have called the bill "dead on arrival" in the lower chamber.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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