Trump slams Senate agreement on Ukraine aid and immigration reforms as a gift for Democrats'
Trump sharply criticised the bill's provisions, which were announced on Sunday. The bill suggests closing the border if the number of people attempting to cross it exceeds an average of 5,000 per day in a week. Trump asserts that the current president already possesses the authority to make such a decision.
5 Feb 2024 | updated: 7 March 2024 09:14
"Only a fool or a radical left-wing Democrat would vote for this horrendous border bill," he stated on his social media site, TRUTH Social.
"This bill is a golden gift for the Democrats and a death blow for the Republican Party... Don't be stupid!" Trump urged party leaders not to associate border reforms with foreign aid in any manner.
Even before the agreement was reached, the ex-president repeatedly encouraged Republicans to reject the bipartisan agreement about immigration and financial aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.
The highest-ranking politicians in the Republican Party in the House of Representatives, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, have also expressed opposition to the project. Despite predictions that the project could secure a majority vote in the House, they have dismissed the idea of presenting it for a vote.
Bipartisan agreement in the U.S. Senate: Perspectives from the authors
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and the project's co-author, Republican Senator James Lankford, have defended the proposal.
Lankford explained that after four months of dialogues, the negotiated immigration reforms - which significantly tighten asylum criteria and permit the swift repatriation of most immigrants at the border - are the strictest set of reforms ever contemplated by Congress.
President Biden has stated that he will immediately strengthen border control as soon as the bill is passed, practically rejecting almost all immigrants attempting to cross the border at unapproved points of entry.
Lankford criticised his party colleagues for being influenced by disinformation and "what they read on Facebook." He also noted that during Donald Trump's presidency, there were instances when more than 5,000 immigrants were found at the border daily, resulting in chaos.
"The crucial question remains: are we, as Republicans, going to organise press conferences and bemoan the state of the border, only to deliberately leave it open, despite December marking the worst month in American history?" Lankford questioned in an interview with conservative television channel Fox News.
He previously hinted that some party colleagues might be criticising the project because they are reluctant to approve new funds to aid Ukraine. Other Republican senators, including McConnell and Mitt Romney, suggested that the opposition could be arising from an unwillingness to nullify Trump's primary campaign issue.
