WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday rejected a border security bill that Republican leaders wanted to see as an incentive for conservatives to support a development aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
The border law was 215-199 voteswas put to the vote under a fast-track procedure known as suspension of the rules, which requires a two-thirds majority to pass. The Conservatives, to whom the proposal was addressed, criticised it as a “show vote”.
Five Democrats – Donald G. Davis of North Carolina, Jared Golden of Maine, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Mary Peltola of Alaska and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington – voted for the bill along with all Republicans present.
The border security bill – almost identical to the Republican bill in the House of Representatives yesteryear – was an attempt by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson of Louisiana to suppress the growing discontent of the extreme right prompted by its support for the $95 billion development aid package to be adopted on Saturday, with the facilitate of Democrats.
The measure is separate and not part of a package of three supplemental funding bills that include aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as well as another so-called sidecar bill on TikTok. The Senate will be able to approve the foreign aid package and ignore the border security bill, which closely resembles another border bill passed by the House that the Senate has not voted on.
Instead of calming the unrest, Johnson’s actions only provoked more anger from far-right members. Three Republicans – Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Paul Gosar of Arizona – are already supporting an attempt to oust Johnson by filing a motion to vacate his office.
During the debate on Friday, Democrats argued that the bill HR3602was a reissue of HR2a bill passed by Republicans in the House of Representatives last year that would reinstate Trump-era immigration policies such as the construction of the border wall. Both bills would also require asylum seekers to remain in Mexico.
Return of the border invoice
Republicans overwhelmingly supported the border bill, but some called the vote a “farce” and acknowledged that the bill would not pass in the Senate, where Democrats have a majority.
“House Republicans are once again trying to get our Democratic colleagues and President Biden to take this border crisis seriously,” said Barry Moore of Alabama.
The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Jerry Nadler of New York, said the bill was a “foolhardy attempt to pass for the second time one of the most draconian immigration laws this Congress has ever seen. This reissue of HR 2 is a joke.”
“Republicans have proven that they want the problem more than they want solutions,” he said. “And here we are again, passing virtually the same draconian bill as before, knowing full well that if it actually passes in the House, it will certainly not do anything in the Senate.”
Nadler argued that if Republicans were earnest about solving the immigration problem at the southern border, they would have supported the bipartisan border bill in the Senate instead of opposing it.
Three senators – Republican James Lankford of Oklahoma, Democrat Chris Murphy of Connecticut and independent Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona – have been working for months on a bill to overhaul immigration policy. Senate Republicans had insisted that border security provisions be included in the aid package.
But the Republicans in Congress went away from it Earlier this year at the urging of likely Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who did not support the law because he is focusing his election campaign on immigration.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio argued that the bill was “not quite HR 2.”
The bill is nearly identical to HR 2, but removes the requirement for employers to verify an employee’s immigration status and work eligibility and provides about $9 billion in grant programs for border states.
“Let’s take a step toward a solution and pass this bill,” Jordan said of the southern border.
A “misleading package”
Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat and chair of the Progressive Congressional Caucus in Washington state, called the bill pointless.
“The majority could barely pass this bill last year,” she said, referring to the 2023 GOP vote. “And now it’s supposed to magically pass the House with a two-thirds majority? Now that’s something. This bill isn’t going anywhere, so let’s get that clear.”
Texas Republican Chip Roy agreed that the bill would not become law and expressed frustration that Republicans would not seek to employ foreign aid funds for the bill.
“Republicans continue to campaign on securing the border, but then refuse to use their influence to actually secure the border,” Roy said. “We should get the bill passed, but the only way to force the Democrats to do it is to use their influence.”
Arizona Republican Rep. Andy Biggs also agreed with Roy and the Democrats that “this is a show election.”
Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Scott Perry made similar comments, but said he would still vote for the bill even if it was “doomed to fail.”
“But I want everyone to know it’s a farce,” Perry said.
