Senate Republicans to block Ukraine funding after tempers flare at secret briefing

Senate Republican leaders, ahead of a key procedural vote Wednesday, are urging their Republican colleagues to block legislation to provide more than $61 billion in military and foreign aid to Ukraine because the package does not include reforms to immigration and asylum.

Any hope of passing a bill this week was dashed when tempers flared at a secret briefing on the war in Ukraine and senators faced cries for border security.

Senate Republicans now say they will reject Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's (DNY) latest bid to table President Biden's request for emergency foreign aid along with a bipartisan bill to crack down on fentanyl supply chain and a guarantee. Republicans may offer First Amendment on border security.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) is urging GOP colleagues to vote against the motion to proceed, insisting that major immigration and policy reforms be included in any package Schumer presents.

“I am advocating and hoping that all of our members will vote no on the motion to proceed with the shell [bill] to signal, hopefully for the last time, that we insist on meaningful changes at the border,” McConnell told reporters Tuesday afternoon.

Asked about Schumer's plan to combine President Biden's request for money for Ukraine and Israel with the bipartisan FEND Off Fentanyl Act and let Republicans deliver the First Amendment in the bill, McConnell said he wants security border as part of the basic bill.

“They don't want to deal with border security in the context of the supplement. We do it because we know that will guarantee an outcome” on asylum reform, McConnell explained.

Schumer said Senate negotiations on border security broke down Friday when Sen. James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) tabled a proposal that largely mirrored reforms in the Secure the Border Act, HR 2, approved by the Chamber.

And he said Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) threw a wet blanket on the talks by telling Schumer in a phone call last week that he could not pass any funding for Ukraine through the House unless it was matched with the Chamber approved. immigration reforms, which did not get Democratic votes.

“Thursday, Speaker Johnson called me and said he could only do Ukraine as long as HR 2 was tied to it. I told him it wasn't a starter,” Schumer explained. “Second Friday evening, the negotiations between the Sens. [Kyrsten] Movie theater [I-Ariz.], [Chris] Murphy [D-Conn.] and Lankford made a terrible turn. Basically, Senator Lankford put proposals on the table that pretty much mirrored HR 2.”

Schumer has offered to also include funding to protect synagogues, mosques and other nonprofit groups from desecration of money for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific region and border security.

“If they cross the border [security] should be part of Ukraine [aid], which is so vital to our country, that they propose an amendment that can get 60 votes. And that's why I hope they will vote on the motion to move forward because I'm giving them this new opportunity to present any amendment they have available,” he said. “If they can't meet that offer, what happens? Then what we should do is vote only Ukraine.”

A Democratic aide clarified that Schumer meant he would move money for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific region without immigration policies and border security reforms.

Schumer also said any Republican border security amendment to the bill would need 60 votes.

A Senate Republican aide, however, dismissed Schumer's offer as “not a serious proposal,” saying he won't get the nine Republican votes he needs to move forward.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) on Tuesday unveiled an additional $110.5 billion funding package to provide military assistance to Ukraine and Israel and humanitarian assistance to Gaza, the West Bank and Ukraine, and to invest in the industrial base of the United States. increase the production of weapons and ammunition.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee and a leading proponent of approving more military aid to Ukraine, said Tuesday that he would not vote for the motion to continue.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), vice chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, also expressed reluctance to vote on it without a deal on border security.

“We have to have a border security piece, and I understand those negotiations are still ongoing, so we'll have to see what happens,” he said.

Tempers boiled over Tuesday afternoon during a secret briefing of senators at the sensitive compartmentalized information facility in the Capitol visitor center when McConnell called for Lankford to be recognized to discuss Republican demands to reduce the number of migrants that cross the US-Mexico border.

Schumer accused McConnell of hijacking the meeting.

“He was immediately hijacked by Leader McConnell. The first question, instead of asking our panelists, he asked Lankford to give a five-minute talk about border negotiations, and that was not the purpose of the meeting ” Schumer later recalled. “And when I brought up the idea that they could make an amendment and have the ability to do something at the border, [Republican colleagues] got stuck.”

“They didn't like it and one of them even started, was disrespectful, and started yelling at one of the generals and challenging him why he didn't go to the border,” Schumer said.

Senate sources familiar with the meeting said Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Kevin Cramer (RND) were the “hottest” in expressing frustration with officials at the briefing for not putting more emphasis on in the situation on the southern border.

Senate Republicans walked out of the meeting angry that it did not cover much new ground or provide new information about the possibility of a military advance in Ukraine.

Cramer later told reporters, “I caught them with the microphone in my hand.”

“I asked General Brown for his best military advice. Is supporting Ukraine and Israel important enough that Democrats would at least consider grudgingly supporting southern border security? I wanted to talk about Ukraine,” he said, referring to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff CQ Brown Jr.

Cramer said Schumer was driven “crazy” by his line of questioning about the importance of border security compared to the wars in Israel and Ukraine.

Cramer said Schumer's amendment that would allow Republicans to offer the emergency foreign aid package “is not going to happen because every Democrat is going to vote against it because they don't care one bit about our southern border.”

“It is outrageous. He will kill this bill because of his unwillingness to deal with the southern border,” he said.