Americas

Biden Urges Passage of Border Bill to Secure Lethal Aid to Ukraine, Israel

Immigration policy is among the most controversial issues in US politics, but the US president hopes to pass compromise legislation to secure funding for allied regimes in Ukraine and Israel.
Sputnik
US President Joe Biden is urging congressional support for newly-unveiled border legislation in the Senate as he seeks to secure lethal aid for US-backed regimes in Ukraine and Israel.

“Now we’ve reached an agreement on a bipartisan national security deal that includes the toughest and fairest set of border reforms in decades,” Biden said in a statement Sunday. “I strongly support it.”

The Senate bill is the result of negotiations by Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), James Lankford (R-OK), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ). In exchange for the desired funding for foreign military prerogatives, the bill includes several concessions to conservative demands on immigration, which has angered many progressives as the legislation takes shape.
Among the provisions of the bill are new presidential powers to close the border when crossings are high and reforms to the handling of asylum claims.
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In addition to funding for Ukraine and Israel, the bill also includes aid for Taiwan as the United States backs the island’s renegade government in violation of the understanding arrived at in the 1972 Shanghai Communiqué. The diplomatic negotiation guaranteed the United States’ commitment to the “One China” policy.

“This is one of the most necessary and important pieces of legislation Congress has put forward in years to ensure America’s future prosperity and security,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who said he would bring the bill to the floor this week. Schumer called the legislation “a monumental step towards strengthening America’s national security abroad and along our borders.”

But as some Democrats have questioned the bill’s provisions, Republicans in the House have also signaled resistance.

“I’ve seen enough. This bill is even worse than we expected, and won’t come close to ending the border catastrophe the President has created,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on the X social media platform (formerly Twitter) Sunday. “As the lead Democrat negotiator proclaimed: Under this legislation, ‘the border never closes.'” Johnson said the bill would be “dead on arrival” in the House.

President Biden criticized Republican opposition to the bill. “House Republicans have to decide. Do they want to solve the problem? Or do they want to keep playing politics with the border?” he said in his Sunday statement.
Efforts to pass renewed border policy and immigration reform have consistently faltered since former US President George W. Bush proposed legislation in 2004. Biden hopes this year will be different. But the US president is up against a long record of congressional dysfunctionality on one of the most contentious issues in American politics.
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