Sinema says failure ‘not an option’ in border talks

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) said in a Thursday interview that failing to come to an agreement in negotiations over border security is “not an option.”

“My opinion is that we must work until we find the solution because failure is not an option here,” Sinema told NBC News when asked if lawmakers should stay in Washington, D.C., until a deal was reached.

Senate negotiations led by Sinema, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) have been taking place for weeks in an effort to come to a compromise on the border. Senators signaled optimism Wednesday that the discussions were making progress, and the upper chamber plans to return next week in hopes of reaching an agreement before the end of the year.

The White House also said Thursday that the border security talks were moving “in the right direction.” If both sides of the aisle come to an agreement on the border policies, it will likely unlock the supplemental funding package to send more aid to Israel and Ukraine.

The White House and lawmakers have been tight-lipped on providing a potential timeline for the deal. Without congressional action by the end of the year, the Biden administration has warned that funding for Ukraine will run out.

“I’m not interested in debating the timelines,” Sinema said in the interview. “What I am interested in doing is moving the process forward. And what I’ve demonstrated in my five years in the United States Senate is that I have a proven track record of bringing disparate interests and groups together, finding common ground and moving forward with bipartisan solutions. So the timeline is not a question for me.”

Sinema did not provide additional details about the negotiations, NBC reported. 

“What I will say is that all the options that are on the table and under discussion right now are realistic and pragmatic options and folks have a lot of emotions about them,” she said. “But the reality is, is that these are realistic and pragmatic options that actually solve the crisis and allow us to move forward.”

Sinema’s comments come after Senate Republicans blocked a measure to provide aid to Ukraine and Israel last week because they were unsatisfied with the border security provisions laid out in the bill. 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) warned Tuesday that it would be “practically impossible” to pass legislation providing more military aid to Ukraine before Christmas, even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky paid a visit to Washington to persuade the GOP to approve further aid.