Democratic Senator John Fetterman recently issued a blunt message directed to GOP lawmakers that are still opposing a $118 billion Senate bill. Donald Trump was targeted as well by the message since he shares in the opposition.
‘We Need To Stand With All Of It’, Claims Fetterman
In an interview with Newsweek, Fetterman said that “it’s time for the GOP to get their balls out of Trump’s desk.” He further expressed that they should vote for what they have “just been yelling for for the last months.”
According to Fetterman, “we need to stand with all of it.” He then referenced specifically Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine. He concluded his message by stating that “we have border security. Here it is right there – vote.”
Fetterman Says He Will Be ‘On The Right Side Of’ Israel
Fetterman made headlines in December when we shot down claims that he was a progressive Democrat. The Pennsylvania representative said on X that he referred to himself as a “regular Democrat” and “not a progressive.”
This claim was placed up against a series of tweets posted by Fetterman between 2016 and 2020 when he referred to himself as a progressive. Fetterman recently claimed that, as a Democrat, he is “very committed to choice and other things.” However, when it comes to Israel, he made it clear that he will “be on the right side of that.”
Conservatives Reject Deal Due To Insufficient Security At Southern Border
The major concern of the conservatives in the Senate and House that reject the current deal, which was brokered by a lawmaking bipartisan coalition, focuses on the southern border security itself. The argument is that the bill does provide sufficient security for the border regarding migrant arrivals.
Quite a few Republican senators have also expressed their decision to oppose the bill as well. Questions and doubts have been raised regarding whether the bill has enough votes needed to pass.
What Does The Bipartisan Border Bill Include?
The primary focus of the Senate’s bill is to target major concerns about the border and its security protocol. For instance, the detention capacity of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement would increase to 50,000.
It is important to note that the current capacity is only 34,000. In addition, the bipartisan border bill would boost the immigration enforcement by $20 billion.
Billions Of Dollars in Aid Would Be Used to Help Other Countries
Another provision of the bipartisan border bill is the billions of dollars in aid that would be offered by the U.S. to support other countries. For instance, this bill would provide $60 billion for Ukraine alone.
The bill would also include $14 billion in aid for Israel and $4.83 billion to Indo-Pacific countries. There is also a provision of $10 billion that would be used for humanitarian funding for Gaza, Ukraine, as well as the West Bank.
How The Bill Would Impact Migrant Expulsions, Daily Crossings
The legislation would be able to offer temporary authority to the federal government when it comes to the expulsion of migrants. However, this expulsion could only be done after the average number of daily crossings exceeded a specific threshold.
This means that there would be an end to the “catch and release” protocol. In addition, it would raise the standards and bar of expectation for asylum screenings. Ideally, it would lighten the load of the overall claims process as well.
Trump Refers To The Bill As A ‘Great Gift’ For Democrats, ‘Death Wish’ For Republicans
Donald Trump labeled the bipartisan border as a “death wish” for republicans and a “great gift” for Democrats in a Truth Social post on Monday. The former president stated that the bill essentially takes the “horrible job the Democrats have done” regarding immigration and the border and “absolves them” before placing it “all squarely on the shoulders of Republicans.”
Trump concluded his statement by urging them to not “be stupid.” He further explained that there is a need for a separated border and immigration bill that should not be linked to foreign aid “in any way, shape or form.”
Mike Johnson Increased Pressure On Senate With Separate Israel Aid Bill
House Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly pushed a separate Israel aid bill, which led to an increase of pressure on the Senate regarding the border deal. The bill would have provided Israel with additional military aid.
The bill was shot down last Tuesday by defeat in the House, however. The decisive vote provided individual lawmakers with another opportunity to show their support for Israel to voters. It could essentially be used within the campaign trail strategically to criticize everyone that voted against the bill.
Democrats Argue That Trump Rejects The Bill For Political Reasons
The consistent argument among Democrats for weeks has been that Trump rejects the deal for political reasons more than anything else – specifically it’s during an election year. The former president allegedly believes that the border deal would add another political win to President Biden’s track record.
One of the key factors that Trump has targeted Biden over recently is the constant migrant flow at the southern border. Quite a few polls show that voters apparently trust Donald Trump more when it comes to immigration and the border security issue.
How Many Encounters Occur At The Border Annually?
Statistics show that there were over 2.4 million encounters that occurred at the border throughout the 2023 fiscal year. Based on data provided by US Customs and Border Protection this was a major increase compared to the 1.7 million encounters that occurred in 2021.
To break down the math, this means that there was an average of over 4,657 encounters a day at the border. Trump has previously stated that the Republican party should not accept anything other than a “perfect” border bill to properly handle the substantial influx of migrants each year.
