Senate Republicans are criticizing Mitch McConnell for ‘lack of negotiating skills’ on the border and Ukraine funding bill, saying he has kept the Republican Party in the dark and that there is a ZERO percent chance it will pass the House of Representatives is passed: ‘The problem is our leader’
- To the chagrin of several Republican senators, no one has seen the text of the deal and only bullet points are being distributed
- Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin blamed McConnell for keeping members of his conference in the dark.
A group of Republican senators attacked Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell during a briefing Wednesday for keeping them in the dark about a crucial border security bill and the Ukraine aid bill.
McConnell, R-Ky., tapped Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma to lead negotiations with Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy, Conn., and independent Sen. Krysten Sinema, R-Arizona, on a border-foreign aid package that would provide funding for domestic border security objectives and the war in Ukraine.
But to the chagrin of several Republican senators, no one has seen the text of the deal and only bullet points are being distributed.
“We don’t have any text,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who organized the briefing, told reporters. ‘We should all have the opportunity to participate.’
Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin blamed McConnell for keeping members of his conference in the dark.
“The problem is that our leader, Leader McConnell,” he said, adding that the Kentuckian “is not consulting with the conference.”
Senator Rick Scott (third from right) hosted Wednesday’s border security briefing
Republicans blamed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for keeping them in the dark about a major border security and foreign aid package
“He took away most of our influence,” Johnson said. ‘The lack of negotiation skills is profoundly affecting leadership.’
A major sticking point for Republicans in the ongoing negotiations is Biden’s use of humanitarian parole, an authority the government can use to grant noncitizens entry into the U.S. when the individual does not or cannot obtain a visa.
Under Biden, well over a million immigrants have been granted parole.
“The Biden administration is abusing parole, which should be done on a case-by-case basis,” Johnson complained.
The parole provisions in the unprecedented bill “will be the deciding factor” in whether the deal will gain support among Republicans, said Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas.
Migrants from Venezuela walk through Eagle Pass, Texas, shortly after entering the US
There is zero percent chance the bill will pass in the House of Representatives, Senator Ted Cruz said, adding that Republicans are not involved in the negotiations at all.
“This bill represents Republican leadership in the Senate waging war against Republican leadership in the House of Representatives,” the Texan said. “It won’t become law.”
Scott also wondered why members of the House of Representatives were not involved in the ongoing discussions.
Senator Mike Lee, meanwhile, repeatedly demanded that the Senate have at least three weeks to revise the text of the bill once it is eventually released.
For his part, Lankford told Politico on Tuesday that he hopes to release the text of the bill before the end of this week.