Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced Sunday evening that he would bring the previously failed Senate border bill back up for a vote this week. However, Republicans argue that the vote is a political maneuver to protect vulnerable Democrats facing elections in November.
Schumer proclaimed in his “Dear Colleague” letter that the Senate would address “the pressing issue of our nation’s border security” this week, accusing former President Donald Trump and his allies of initially undermining the bill. He aims to shift responsibility to the GOP-led House of Representatives by claiming the “Democrats’ commitment to act never waned.”
House Republican leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), issued a joint statement on Monday morning alleging that Schumer’s move is designed to provide political cover for vulnerable Democratic members.
“For more than three years now, Congressional Democrats have stood by while the Biden Administration has opened our borders to criminal drug cartels, terrorists, and untold millions of illegal immigrants. Now, Leader Schumer is trying to give his vulnerable members cover by bringing a vote on a bill which has already failed once in the Senate because it would actually codify many of the disastrous Biden open border policies that created this crisis in the first place,” the House GOP leaders said.
“Should it reach the House, the bill would be dead on arrival,” the statement continued.
House GOP leadership also highlighted pieces of legislation it has passed but the Senate has not addressed, including the Laken Riley Act and HR 2.
“If Senate Democrats were actually serious about solving the problem and ending the border catastrophe, they would bring up HR 2 and pass it this week,” the statement continued.
The Republicans have centered their campaigns on border security since Trump campaigned on building a wall along the Mexico border.
The pressure to appear strong on border security and illegal immigration issues is growing for several vulnerable Democrats. Even those senators not from border states feel compelled to address and vote on border security to alleviate voter concerns over record levels of illegal border crossings.
Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) seek reelection in heavily Republican states, while Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bob Casey (D-PA), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) face tough races in key swing states for the presidential election.
These senators aim to neutralize GOP attacks on border security, with all supporting the border bill Schumer seeks to revive. These races have been rated as “toss-ups” or “lean Democratic” by the CookPoliticalReport. In these states, President Joe Biden is either trailing or barely ahead of Trump in the polls.
Biden has also sought to neutralize the border issue in his reelection campaign against Trump, pushing for the bill’s passage to show action on the border, which remains a critical issue for voters.
“We strongly support this legislation and call on every Senator to put partisan politics aside and vote to secure the border,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement on Monday regarding Schumer’s announcement.
Republicans argue that the bill falls short, solidifying poor border security policies, and contains measures they believe Biden could already implement through executive authority.
