U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has revealed that he wants to try to pass the bipartisan border bill again. Now, he intends to push the U.S. Senate to vote on the bill.
This move comes as the Senate previously failed to pass the bill, which was initially touted by both Democrats and Republicans, after former President Donald Trump urged elected Republicans to drop it.
Schumer Wants the Border Bill Passed
Schumer sent a letter to senators recently announcing his intent to pass this border bill this week, pushing for this matter to potentially finally be dealt with.
In his letter, Schumer said, “I hope Republicans and Democrats can work together to pass the bipartisan Border Act this coming week.”
White House Response
Though this border bill would enact some strict laws and requirements on the border, President Joe Biden’s administration has fully supported it from the beginning.
Months ago, when the bill was still being hashed out and was gaining support among lawmakers, Biden said he would immediately sign the bill into law once it was passed.
Republican Response
Already, elected Republican lawmakers have opposed Schumer’s move to try to pass the border bill. Specifically, House Republicans have publicly stated they would not pass this bill.
House Speaker Mike Johnson released a statement alongside other Republicans stating that they would ensure the bill would be dead on arrival if it reached the House.
The Bill Will Stand Alone
When the Senate first tried to pass this bipartisan border bill, it was attached to foreign aid to both Israel and Ukraine.
Now, however, Schumer has clarified that he will try to push for the bill to be passed alone in the Senate. It will not be attached to anything.
The Creation of a Border Bill
The Border Act was worked on by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress as they worked to deal with the southern border’s ongoing crisis.
Since 2021, a record number of migrants have been seen — and been caught — crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in the south. This has resulted in many Republicans blasting Biden for not having accurate policies to deal with this border crisis.
What the Border Bill Contains
The Border Act mainly targets trying to lessen the crisis at the southern border. To help, this act has allowed thousands of new border agents to be hired.
U.S. asylum laws would also be reformed. Many other measures and requirements are attached to this act to try to stop the flow of illegal migrants — and illegal substances such as fentanyl — from being smuggled into the country.
Why the Border Bill Was Scrapped
Even though many Republicans and Democrats — and even so-called hard-line conservatives — worked together to create this act, the bill was ultimately dropped.
The scrapping of this bill came even after both Democrats and Republicans publicly supported the bill and claimed it would bring much-needed order to the southern border. The White House even stated its support for this act.
Trump Rejected the Bill
However, Trump revealed that he didn’t like the bill — and pressured many Republican lawmakers to ensure the bill was never passed.
After this bill failed to pass the Senate, Trump publicly cheered that he killed the bill. Many Democrats and critics have called out Republicans for killing a bill that they initially wanted, all because Trump told them to do so.
Republicans Refuted Claims
Republicans refuted claims that they only killed the bipartisan border bill because of the former president.
Instead, many of them claimed that the border bill didn’t actually solve anything, nor did the bill include anything that they wanted passed.
Running on Immigration Issues
Many political analysts and politicians have since claimed that Trump told Republican lawmakers loyal to him to ensure the bill was stopped, as he wanted to be able to run on the terrible border crisis in his reelection quest against current President Biden.
If the border bill wasn’t passed, then Trump could tell Americans that Biden has continued to let the border become a mess.
Schumer Calls Out Trump
Schumer referenced this in his letter announcing his intent to push the bill’s passing in the Senate.
“The former President made clear he would rather preserve the issue for his campaign than solve the issue in a bipartisan fashion. On cue, many of our Republican colleagues abruptly reversed course on their prior support, announcing their new-found opposition to the bipartisan proposal,” Schumer stated.
