Cornyn has ‘serious concerns’ about Senate border bill

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Monday that he has “serious concerns” about the Senate’s bipartisan border bill, which was unveiled Sunday night.

“Now that I have seen text, I have questions and serious concerns,” Cornyn said in a statement.

Cornyn is widely considered a key vote on the GOP side. He represents a key border state and is a top ally of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is expected to start the process of passing the full supplemental funding request from President Biden — which includes the border component and aid for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific and for humanitarian purposes — by the end of the week.

While the bill may pass the Senate, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) declared the package is “dead on arrival” in the House. 

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) told reporters Sunday night that he is open to further negotiations with the House on the package, but it is unclear how that would go over with the White House and Democratic negotiators. 

The initial goal was for the bill to win a majority of the Senate GOP conference, but that is looking increasingly unlikely; several Senate conservatives panned the proposal shortly after it was released Sunday.

McConnell notably did not throw his full weight behind the bill in a statement Sunday night, though he has been widely supportive of the negotiations throughout the months-long process. 

“America’s sovereignty is being tested here at home, and our credibility is being tested by emboldened adversaries around the world. The challenges we face will not resolve themselves, nor will our adversaries wait for America to muster the resolve to meet them,” McConnell said. “The Senate must carefully consider the opportunity in front of us and prepare to act.”

Lankford led the negotiations alongside Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.).