WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Tuesday President Joe Biden pleaded for Republicans not to abandon legislation to secure the border and send aid to Israel and Ukraine.
“We can’t continue to let petty partisan politics get in the way of our responsibility,” said Biden.
But the bipartisan package was as good as dead just an hour later after Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who had supported the bill, surrendered all hope.
“We have no real chance here to make a law,” said McConnell.
President Biden says former President Donald Trump would rather weaponize the border in his battle to win back the White House.
“For the last 24 hours he’s done nothing I’m told but reach out to Republicans in the House and the Senate and threaten them and try and intimidate them,” Biden said.
Republicans deny Trump is the reason they have killed the bill.
“I haven’t talked to him. I’m not sure anybody on this stage has talked to him,” said Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.).
They argue the bill is bad policy and makes the border less secure.
“A bill that again fast tracks more illegal immigration, doesn’t do anything on a border wall, doesn’t do anything to fix the parole process,” said Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.).
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy spent months negotiating with Republicans on the bill.
“It is doubly outrageous for them to now oppose the very bill that they begged us to craft,” Murphy said.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is now pushing a stand-alone bill to provide money to Israel.
President Biden promises to veto it if it doesn’t include aid to Ukraine.
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