Jamiesfeast – Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) expressed his surprise at the lack of support from Senate Republicans for the border legislation put forward by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), which was ultimately struck down on Wednesday.
The $118 billion bipartisan border and foreign aid bill was defeated by the Senate, as it fell short by a vote of 49-50, failing to receive the necessary 60 votes to advance. The procedural vote came after Republicans criticized the border legislation, with some Republicans even blasting McConnell and other GOP leaders for the bill’s provisions.
McConnell made a change of direction when he realized that the bill had no chance of being passed into law. The bill had been a collaborative effort between Murphy, the lead Democrat, as well as Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), along with officials from the White House. They had been working on the bill for several months and unveiled it on Sunday. Initially, McConnell had been a strong supporter of the bill.
Murphy expressed surprise and disappointment at McConnell’s sudden change of heart and the lack of support from the GOP.
According to Murphy, the minority leader played a significant role in the deal, not just by endorsing it but also by actively participating in its writing. Murphy expresses admiration for the leader’s dedication to Ukraine and appreciates the collaboration with his team. However, Murphy finds it concerning that despite the minority leader’s involvement, only four votes were garnered from his caucus for the deal.
In his 14 years as a Senator, Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) has never witnessed a McConnell-supported agreement crumble within the Republican caucus as swiftly as this one.
Coons expressed his surprise to the outlet, stating, “It surprises me.”
Several Republican senators have been mocking McConnell in recent days. For instance, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), who strongly opposed the border bill, shared a cartoon on social media that humorously depicted McConnell as Charlie Brown being kicked by Sinema, portrayed as Lucy.
According to Johnson, there could be a few more individuals who will question McConnell, joining the 10 senators who already voted against his leadership at the beginning of Congress.
“I am hopeful that many of my colleagues are reflecting on the question: How did we find ourselves in a situation where we are being held responsible for Biden’s open border policy? How could such a scenario come to pass? The answer lies in McConnell’s actions, which have made this outcome possible,” expressed Johnson.
Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and J.D. Vance (R-OH) contend that McConnell has strayed from the desires of the voters.
According to Paul, McConnell’s unwavering support for Ukraine puts him at odds with both the conservatives in Kentucky and across the nation who believe that sending unlimited funds is not feasible.
McConnell, however, has dismissed the claims that he should not have engaged in negotiations to combine Ukraine and border security in one bill. He reminded his colleagues that it was their idea to pair the two issues together.
Mitch McConnell, in an interview with NBC News, revealed that he had followed his conference’s instructions to address the issue in October. Interestingly, it was their side that initiated the discussion on the border matter. However, McConnell acknowledged that circumstances have evolved significantly in the past four months.