Trump Kills Bipartisan Border Bill
🔴 Abuse of Power ·
Jan–May 2024
Summary
Senate Republicans had spent months demanding border security legislation as a condition for passing Ukraine aid. A bipartisan group led by Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) negotiated a compromise bill that included asylum restrictions, border shutdown triggers, and thousands of new border agents, endorsed by the Border Patrol Union and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Trump publicly and privately pressured Republicans to kill it before it was even released, arguing its passage would be a ‘win’ for Biden. Senate Minority Leader McConnell acknowledged in a private meeting that Trump’s opposition put Republicans ‘in a serious bind.’ Only Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted to advance the bill; even McConnell, who had championed the deal, voted against it. The final vote was 43-50. Trump publicly took credit for killing the bill, posting ‘I think it’s dead.’ Republican Sen. Mitt Romney stated: ‘The fact that he would communicate to Republican senators and congresspeople that he doesn’t want us to solve the border problem because he wants to blame Biden for it is really appalling.’ The public messaging on the effort to kill the bill was that the Ukraine aid shouldn’t be tied to it. This messaging was called into question when the bill was split into two separate bills and only the Ukrainian aid passed. Since taking office, Trump hasn’t revived the bill and hasn’t worked to promote any new border legislation.
Key Figures
Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Joe Biden
Institutions Involved
U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives
Sources
- Republicans kill border bill in a sign of Trump’s strength and McConnell’s waning influence
- GOP senators seethe as Trump blows up delicate immigration compromise
- Senate Republicans block border security bill as they campaign on border chaos
- Trump praises collapse of bipartisan border deal - ‘I think it’s dead’