Republicans appear ready to oppose immigration deal because of President Trump

And a week later, Republicans did a great job confirming that they would do nothing at the border for the big reason of political expediency.

As The Washington Post’s Tobi Raji, Theodoric Meyer and Lee Ann Caldwell reported, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday criticized border security measures and Ukraine’s war funding. He privately expressed a bleak outlook regarding the agreement that would bring the two countries together. At that time, McConnell pointed out that Trump is firmly emerging as the Republican presidential nominee. (Trump, who won Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, called on Republicans to reject a bipartisan compromise.)

According to Punchbowl News and other reports, McConnell has expressed a desire not to “undermine” President Trump and the fact that former President Trump wants to campaign on immigration in the 2024 election. Specifically mentioned.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said it was “horrifying for President Trump to tell Republican senators and representatives that he doesn’t want them to solve the border issue because he wants to be in charge.” [President] Biden supports it. ”

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) told USA Today: Obviously it’s 5000. So does that mean someone is trying to kill the bill in the name of running for office? That’s irresponsible. ”

Mr. McConnell later made it clear that he was still trying to build a consensus. Romney said Thursday — However, it remains to be seen how much effort he will put into it.

It’s been clear for some time that the politics of the issue would be tough, especially in the Republican-controlled House, where senators like Lankford have balked at the deal. Details of the agreement have not yet been made public, but key aspects include tightening rules for people showing up at the border to apply for asylum. A difficult question is how to handle parole for immigrants who enter the United States temporarily.

But citing Trump and his campaign specifically takes things to another level. The objections seem to be about how it would work politically, rather than just that it would be difficult to get something through or not enough to stop the flow at the border. This comes from a political party that has emphasized the immediacy of what it has labeled a national security crisis at the border.

It’s worth noting that this shift comes after McConnell and other Republican leaders previously stressed the opportunity ahead and the need to get something done now.

Senate Republicans actually pushed back last week when some Republican colleagues and conservative commentators suggested the bill was not needed or that it should wait until President Trump takes office in less than a year.

Lankford called it “the most conservative border security bill in 40 years.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called this a “historic moment” and assured Republicans “you won’t get” a better deal with President Trump. “Getting this kind of border security without giving them a path to citizenship is really unprecedented,” Graham said.

Sen. John Thune (R.S.D.), the No. 2 Senate Republican, made similar comments, calling this a “unique moment” and saying such an agreement would not be possible under the Trump administration unless Republicans receive 60 votes. He insisted that there was “absolutely no way” to obtain this. -Senate, a majority to block the filibuster.

Mr. McConnell himself argued that complete Republican control of Washington would not work. That’s because to pass this agreement, “we probably won’t be able to get even a single Democratic vote.”

“This is a unique opportunity to get something done in a divided government,” McConnell said.

A logical extension of these comments is that Republicans may be giving up on doing anything important at the border. It’s not going to happen under Trump, and if we don’t do it now, it’s not going to happen.

And by sticking their necks out to support the deal, they are making it seem more like a political game than national security concerns that killed the deal. Disagree with Trump and some Republicans who see political value in continuing the border crisis and refusing to strike a bipartisan deal that could help Biden politically is becoming increasingly difficult. Republican lawmakers are now openly talking about it.

What I always think about on this subject is a comment from Congressman Troy E. Neals (R-Texas) that just came out earlier this month. It would help Democrats and help Joe Biden’s approval ratings. ”

One way to look at Mr. McConnell’s comments is that he is simply acknowledging the political reality that it will be difficult to pass. Why would the Senate pass something that the House would not pass, and in the process reveal that the House tore up a deal that could have solved the border issue?

But the other thing is that it’s pure resentment against Trump and an attempt to lay the failure of the deal at his feet. This man relentlessly attacked McConnell, launched a racist attack on his wife, and even appeared to threaten McConnell’s death. It is true that McConnell appears to be surrendering to Trump after all this has happened, but he is also effectively blaming Trump.

As McConnell left the Senate floor Thursday, he was asked about the possibility of President Trump reneging on the deal.

“It’s nothing new.” he answered.