Funding bill for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan stalls in U.S. Senate over border funding

CHARLESTON — A bill to provide much needed funding for the Ukrainian war effort, Israel’s fight against Hamas, and Taiwan defense spending hit a brick wall in the U.S. Senate over a debate whether to include funding for the U.S. southern border.

Senate Republicans denied the national security supplemental bill the 60 votes necessary for cloture, which would have allowed the full Senate to consider the bill and debate amendments.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., released the text of the national security supplemental Tuesday.

The $110.5 billion package includes assistance to Ukraine as it continues to fight a Russian invasion; security assistance for Israel after terrorist group Hamas attacked the country in October; and support for Indo-Pacific countries — including Taiwan — concerned about Chinese encroachments.

The bill includes funding for domestic munitions and weapons production to restore depleted stockpiles, humanitarian assistance for Ukrainian refugees, and humanitarian assistance for Palestinians displaced by the Israel/Hamas conflict in Gaza.

The supplemental also includes funding for detecting and combating fentanyl trafficking, which in many cases comes in from China to Mexico and into the U.S. And resources for the U.S. southern border with Mexico, including reducing processing and backlogs of adjudications, support for Central and South American countries to stem the number of people seeking to cross the border illegally, and providing more humane ways to handle encounters at the border.

However, Senate Republicans are wanting stronger border protection policies included in the national security supplemental, including granting greater authority to the executive branch to deny applications for asylum seekers at the southern border.

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are wanting components of H.R. 2 — the Southern Border Transparency Act — included, which would require resumption of construction of the border wall, increases to the numbers of border agents, greater use of technology on the border to locate illegal crossings, and the end of catch-and-release policies.

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., led several Republican senators in floor speeches Wednesday afternoon calling on stronger border protections in the national security supplemental. Capito, the vice chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and a Republican member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the GOP border recommendations are non-partisan and substantive.

“We cannot achieve national security as a whole without securing our own borders,” Capito said. “It is essential that border security remains one of our four pillars that need to be included in any national security supplemental that is approved by this Congress.

“The text before us does not make any policy changes, but instead just throws more money and more money at a broken system,” Capito continued. “That is not a solution. It doesn’t address the actual policies that are fueling this situation.”

In an address Wednesday afternoon, President Joe Biden called on Congress to pass the national security supplemental before breaking for the holidays. He said Republicans are providing Russian President Vladimir Putin an opportunity for further aggression against Ukraine by cutting them off from needed funds for arms.

“I think it is stunning we got to this point in the first place,” Biden said. “The Republicans in Congress are willing to give Putin the greatest gift he could hope for and abandon our global leadership, not just in Ukraine but beyond that.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday he was willing to allow consideration of amendments from the Republican minority to the national security supplemental if they would vote for cloture. But Republicans needed to be willing to compromise on some of the provisions they want.

“I have promised my Republican colleagues that if they agree to move forward, I will give them an amendment vote for a border package entirely of their choosing, no conditions,” Schumer said. “This is a golden opportunity for Republicans to present whatever border policy they want, and our side will not interfere with the construction of that amendment in any way … Why hold up Ukraine aid if they can’t even present a border package that can pass the Senate? We’re asking ourselves this question.”

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said he supported stronger border protections, but he was unwilling to hold up the national security supplemental and supported a vote for cloture.

“Commonsense should dictate that we need to secure our own border in addition to helping Ukraine and Israel secure theirs,” Manchin said. “In the greatest country on Earth, we do not have to choose between protecting our homeland and defending our allies. My support for Israel and Ukraine is unwavering but it does not supersede my commitment to my own country. 

“We need major, structural reforms to limit the number of illegal crossings at our southern border and regain operational control,” Manchin continued.

“I am voting to proceed on this bill because I have received a commitment from Majority Leader Chuck Schumer that we can add amendments to the national security supplemental that will secure our border.”