OPINION: Republicans Killing the Border Deal is Nothing New
During a closed-door meeting last Tuesday, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) informed House Republicans that the Senate’s bipartisan immigration deal had no viable path forward, dealing a significant blow to a crucial national security package designed to release essential aid to Ukraine. House Republicans, upon leaving the conference meeting, emphasized that Johnson unequivocally stated the immigration deal was “absolutely dead.” Speaker Johnson refuted that his opposition to the bipartisan deal was an effort to support former President Trump in his presidential campaign. Nevertheless, this development comes amidst former President Donald Trump’s call for Republicans to thwart the package. As reported by The Hill during a special Republican conference meeting on January 24th, according to a GOP senator present, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)acknowledged that the “political situation has drifted” following the primary elections in Iowa and New Hampshire and he argued that the bill must be defeated to prevent President Biden from securing a political victory ahead of the 2024 elections.
Republicans are now working overtime to portray the national security funding compromise they initially sought as unnecessary. The lack of a coherent message, coupled with Trump and Johnson moving the goalpost on border-related issues, underscores the growing divide between the old-guard GOP represented by McConnell and the newer establishment aligned with Trump, such as Speaker Johnson and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. This internal struggle within the party appears to favor the MAGA faction, as evident in the Iowa and New Hampshire primary results, signaling a decline for the old guard in the ongoing battle for control of the Republican Party.
McConnell is also grappling with discord within Senate Republicans. Trump’s emergence as the likely Republican presidential nominee presents new challenges to McConnell as he’s distanced himself from Trump following the Capitol riot on January 6. Despite being no stranger to the tactics of house hardliners as he engaged in similar ideological retribution against the Obama administration by obstructing Senate proceedings, he simply isn’t hardline enough for the modern era of GOP politics. “[McConnell] and Schumer have ruled this place for way too long. And financially, we cannot afford the two of them. That’s why we’re really calling on Mike to stand strong,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) said to politico. The threat that Speaker Johnson will be removed from office like his predecessor Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is also present, further preventing the advancement of this bipartisan deal. One sticking point for MAGA hardliners is support for funding Ukraine in its war with Russia. Earlier today on the Chris Salcedo Show, Rep Jim Jordan (R-OH) said “I don’t think they’re gonna get the money for Ukraine. The Speaker has been clear on that.”
Senators Romney (R-UT) and Murkowski (R-AK), alongside the White House and congressional Democrats, have called out House Republicans for political gamesmanship, citing just how harsh the legislation truly is and seemingly pleading with the GOP that they will give them what they want on the border so long as funding continues to go to Ukraine. Biden in a statement said “What’s been negotiated would — if passed into law — be the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border we’ve ever had in our country… It would give me, as President, a new emergency authority to shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed. And if given that authority, I would use it the day I sign the bill into law.” There have been calls by Republicans like Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) to separate the two deals once again and just vote on the foreign aid package, but there is no reason to believe Republicans wouldn’t also try to kill this bill despite its broad popularity just to anger Democrats as they’ve done it before.
This civil war for control over the GOP will likely continue to block any policy advancement as showmanship continues to be more critical to GOP success than actual governance. The standoff at Eagle Pass continues to prove a perfect example. Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) shut down around two and a half miles of land around Eagle Pass with members of the Texas State Guard manning the border, setting up barbed wire, and mass detaining refugees. After the drowning deaths of 3 migrants, Biden issued a statement calling on Abbott to comply with federal law within 24 hours or face the consequences, which he promptly did. He replaced the Texas State Guard with the National Guard, something that is legal. Furthermore, refugees are now being redirected from Eagle Pass instead of simply being arrested by state officials.
Despite now exercising the fullest extent of his legal authority, Governor Abbott is still parading around like he is standing up to President Biden and doing something he is not allowed to do. He has made several statements saying he has a “plan” in case Biden tries to federalize the National Guard and has made a show of his frustrations that he can’t order the border to be shut down and migrants to be shot on sight. All of these statements do is serve as dog whistles for the far right, something the GOP has a proud history of. From criticizing “welfare queens,” affirmative action, inner cities, BLM, DEI, “wokeness,” and plenty more, the last 40 years of GOP messaging has only served to galvanize white America against immigrants and African Americans but rarely has it been followed by actual governance, just policy suggestions in order to weaken democratic policy objectives and prevent them from having any “victories.” None of what’s happening today is new it’s just more apparent, and yet things are so polarized that it still isn’t evident to millions of Americans that they’re being duped.
