Biden supports ‘tough’ and ‘fair’ Senate border bill text

President Biden praised the bipartisan border deal unveiled Sunday evening and called on Congress to move swiftly to pass the bill and get it to his desk to sign.

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

“I urge Congress to come together and swiftly pass this bipartisan agreement. Get it to my desk so I can sign it into law immediately,” Biden said.

Biden praised the work of negotiators from the Senate and from his administration who he said worked “around the clock” to reach a deal. He looked to House Republicans now to decide how to proceed.

“There is more work to be done to get it over the finish line. But I want to be clear about something: If you believe, as I do, that we must secure the border now, doing nothing is not an option. Working with my administration, the United States Senate has done the hard work it takes to reach a bipartisan agreement.”

“Now, House Republicans have to decide. Do they want to solve the problem? Or do they want to keep playing politics with the border? I’ve made my decision. I’m ready to solve the problem. I’m ready to secure the border. And so are the American people,” Biden wrote.

The 370-page border bill came together after months of negotiations led by Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.).

The deal includes provisions to raise standards for asylum screening and to process claims faster, ends the practice known as “catch and release,” and provides a new authority to close the border to many migrants when crossings reach a set threshold.

The legislative package also includes additional funds for the border, Israel and Ukraine aid, along with other foreign policy priorities.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has pledged to bring the bill to the floor this week, but the bill faces an unclear path in the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has previously called the potential deal “dead on arrival.”