Democratic negotiator ‘still shaking’ over border package collapse

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), one of the lead Democratic negotiators behind the hard-fought border security deal, called the bill’s collapse due to a diminishment of GOP support “shocking.”

“I mean, the whole thing is still shocking to me. I am still shaking, having watched the most bizarre, maddening phenomenon I’ve ever been a part of in politics,” Murphy told The Washington Post’s The Early 202 newsletter. “On Sunday afternoon, we had 20 to 25 gettable Republicans. Twenty-four hours later we had four.”

Most of the GOP conference in the upper chamber, save four Republicans, voted against advancing a motion to proceed on a border security package in a 49-50 vote Wednesday.

The border component was part of a larger national security supplemental package, which included emergency foreign aid to assist Ukraine and Israel’s war efforts and increase security around the Indo-Pacific. The deal, which collapsed Wednesday, followed months of negotiations led by Murphy, Republican Sen. James Lankford (Okla.) and Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.).

Senate GOP members have insisted any further aid to Ukraine must be tied with border security reform.

Asked if the negotiations were “for nothing” follow the bill’s demise, Murphy said: “I think every time you try to strike a big compromise, you have to realize there’s a chance of failure.”

“I think it’s important for the parties to be continually trying to find common ground — even on the big, tough issues like immigration, even if we fail,” he continued. “As we speak, we don’t yet know what the fate of Ukraine funding is.”

Murphy added, “But it could be that the disaster of the last 48 hours inside the Republican Party has shamed them into supporting a clean bill funding Ukraine, Israel and humanitarian assistance. Time will tell.”

The Connecticut Democrat contended the Republican Party doesn’t “really want to fix the border” and is rather “addicted” to using the situation as an election year issue.

Senate Republicans faced heavy pressure from former President Trump to block the bill. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) — one of the four Republicans who voted to advance it — argued last month that the former president wants to use the border as an issue to campaign against President Biden in the 2024 election.

Murphy, speaking with the Post, argued a loss for Trump in the 2024 presidential election could weaken his influence over the GOP party.

“My hope is that this election is a final judgment on Trump as a figure in American politics,” Murphy said. “Maybe I’m naive, but if Trump loses again, I don’t think he’s going to have sway on the Republican Party in the way that he does today. If he wins, our long national nightmare is just beginning again.”

He also poured cold water on the idea of getting bipartisan immigration or border reforms in the foreseeable future.

“The rug has been pulled out from under us by Republicans enough times that we should understand their nature on the issue of immigration,” he said. “So it is likely going to only be through Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate that we get real immigration reform.”

He stressed there are parts of the bill that can stand on its own, which he said will require lowering the vote threshold from 60 votes to 50 in order to pass.

The Senate is expected to vote on a Plan B solution Thursday, which would strip the foreign aid legislation of the border security deal.