Although it is being sold by Republican supporters as a meaningful bipartisan plan to address the immigration crisis, critics of a deal that has been negotiated in the U.S. Senate insist that it is little more than a Democratic power grab that would benefit Ukraine far more than it would help secure the U.S. border.
With House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) declaring the bill “dead on arrival” if it reaches his chamber, a growing number of Senate Republicans are sharing their unvarnished assessments of the proposed legislation.
The border bill is dead.
We still need to secure America’s borders before sending another dime overseas.
Here are 7 big problems with stand-alone Ukraine aid: pic.twitter.com/cecx5EMdjQ
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) February 7, 2024
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) took issue with, among other things, a provision in the proposal that would prohibit individual states from taking the Biden administration to local courts over violations thereof. As written, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia “shall have sole and original jurisdiction” for any challenges related to the implementation of the bill’s mandates.
“This means that the State of Texas wouldn’t be able to sue the Biden administration in Texas for violating the provisions of the proposed law — something the State has done effectively for over three years now,” he argued.
Such disputes “would have to be heard in Washington, where Texas will almost certainly lose thanks to a superabundance of liberal judges,” Cruz added.
The Texas Republican opined that the provision was included in the language of the bill “because the Biden administration is tired of losing in Texas district courts and the Fifth Circuit.”
Given Johnson’s declaration that the bill would never advance from the House in its current form, Cruz asked his fellow Senate Republicans “Why on Earth would they be pushing a bill that divides the Republican conference, that unites all the Senate Democrats, and has zero chance of ever passing into law?”
He took his criticism of party leadership in the chamber even further by calling on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to step down.
“Everyone here also supported a leadership challenge to Mitch McConnell in November,” he declared. “I think a Republican leader should actually lead this conference and should advance the priorities of Republicans.”
