THE HILL
Senate Republicans, under heavy pressure from former President Trump, will block a procedural motion to begin debate on a bipartisan border security deal this week, leaving funding for the war in Ukraine in limbo for the foreseeable future.
A failure to advance the border security deal this week would signal the legislation is unlikely to pass the Senate without major changes. And any revisions to asylum and border security reforms negotiated with the White House and Senate Democrats could scuttle the whole deal.
Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.), whose staff has briefed Republican senators and their offices on the details of the sweeping border security package, said Tuesday that a motion to end debate on proceeding to the bill won’t get much, if any, Republican support.
Asked Tuesday morning if any Senate Republicans will vote to proceed to the bill, Thune said it’s “unlikely” because members of his conference want more time to study the complicated package.
“I think it’s unlikely because I just think our members are still — they want more time to evaluate it,” he said when asked about the prospect of any GOP senators voting to proceed.
He said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) decision to schedule a vote Wednesday to allow the bill to proceed is “rushing it.”
Thune had earlier argued to Senate GOP colleagues that they now have a rare chance to pass meaningful border security reforms in a divided Congress, warning that Democrats would have no incentive to negotiate if Republicans win control of the White House and Senate in this year’s election.
But on Tuesday morning he said he would vote with his colleagues to block the bipartisan border deal from advancing.
“My intention is to, at least on the motion to proceed, to vote where I think most of our conference is going to be, which is no,” he said.
Even Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), the lead Republican negotiator who has worked on the border security package over the past four months, said Monday evening he doesn’t know whether he will vote to proceed to the bill Wednesday.
Schumer filed a cloture motion Monday setting up a midweek vote on ending dilatory debate on the motion to proceed to the bill…
