(RepublicanReport.org) – House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is standing firm against Democrats who want to continue funding defensive efforts in Ukraine and Israel without also addressing US border security. The Biden Administration has been pushing a $106-billion spending package to help back the two war-torn nations, but Johnson has an ultimatum that will likely make or break the deal.
Johnson insists that the funding proposal isn’t going anywhere without an agreement in Congress to bring back Trump-era immigration policies. He and other Republicans want Democrats to agree to attach HR 2, also known as the Secure the Border Act of 2023, to any relief package they bring to a vote. The border legislation has already passed in the House, but it could have a harder time getting through the Senate without added incentive.
HR 2 would have the Department of Homeland Security continue construction of the US-Mexico border wall in areas where it had already been underway, or at least in the planning stages, before January 20, 2021. It would also boost current border protection efforts, add 24-hour unmanned drone surveillance in the region, reform asylum-granting practices, and add statutes protecting minors who enter the country alongside undocumented individuals.
The Associated Press reports that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) presented a “golden offer” to Republicans, telling them they could add any amendment they wanted to the Ukraine/Israel spending package as long as they agreed to vote it through — but that also meant keeping HR 2 unattached. GOP members reportedly walked out of the meeting, making clear that they weren’t willing to make that kind of compromise.
Newsmax states that Republicans are adamant HR 2 must go alongside any funding vote their peers try to move through Congress, insisting that US border security is more important now than ever. They argue that it’s pointless to fund the defense of foreign countries when so much is currently at stake on the home front.
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