Senate GOP Whip John Thune, R-S.D., says the Senate is not on target to pass a border/Ukraine bill this week, Bloomberg News is reporting.
"THUNE says Senate is not on a path to get border/Ukraine bill passed this week," Bloomberg News' Erik Wasson posted on X.
A deal in the Senate on border policies was being finalized Monday as senators returned to Washington for what could be a pivotal week for a painstakingly negotiated compromise that could open the door for Republican support to replenish U.S. wartime aid for Ukraine, according to The Associated Press.
But the bipartisan group is treading on one of the most explosive issues in American politics, and the legislation faces heavy skepticism from the wings of both political parties, including Donald Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, an archconservative who has shown little willingness to compromise on border policy.
With the House on recess, the Senate has an opportunity this week to gain momentum for the initiative. Republican senators want a robust showing of GOP support for the bill to put pressure on Johnson to take it up. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's ability to marshal his conference for the border measures could ultimately decide the fate of one of his key priorities: bolstering U.S. support for democratic allies around the world.
"The entire world understands what's at stake here in the Senate in the coming weeks," McConnell said in a Senate floor speech.
Thune said Monday that the price for the border security provisions in the bill that negotiators are trying to finalize could exceed the $14 billion President Joe Biden had initially requested for border security, according to CNN.
"That's being discussed," Thune acknowledged to reporters when asked if he thought the number was going to have to go up.
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., who is working to strike a deal on the bill, had acknowledged Monday it would be "quite a push" to begin voting on legislation this week, CNN reported.
"It's not going to be ready today, to be able to go out," Lankford said. "Everybody's got to have several days to be able to go through it … it would be quite a push to be able to get it out this week."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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