Asked if there is enough time left in the year to strike a deal on border security reform and military aid for Ukraine, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s (Ky.) leadership team, answered tersely: “No.”
Hard-line Republicans in both chambers have insisted that any additional aid for Ukraine be paired with reforms at the southern border, but negotiations on border policy have made little progress.
The Senate is scheduled to start its Christmas recess after this week, and Cornyn doesn’t see much point in senators returning to the Capitol the week of Dec. 18 given the gulf between the Democratic and Republican negotiators over proposed asylum reforms.
The Texas senator blamed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for the time crunch.
“I think Sen. Schumer got this started so late that we might just run out of time, so I think it’s going to be a January exercise,” Cornyn said.
Cornyn voiced his skepticism about the prospect of negotiators reaching a deal on border security and aid to Ukraine — the two most controversial elements of a proposed $110 billion emergency foreign aid package — shortly after Senate leaders traded blame over the impasse.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has already told Republican senators that he will not be able to pass more money for Ukraine through the House without major reforms to asylum policy.
Schumer took to the Senate floor Monday afternoon to accuse Republicans of making unreasonable demands in the negotiations over border security.
“If Republicans keep insisting on Donald Trump’s border policies, then they will be at fault when a deal for Ukraine, Israel and humanitarian aid to Gaza falls apart,” he said.
“Democrats are serious about reaching bipartisan compromise to pass this package. The question is if Republicans are now willing to do the same.”
The fighting comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet with President Biden at the White House on Tuesday.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
