Congress appears no closer to a deal ahead of critical week for emergency aid package negotiations

CNN
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Congress appears no closer to a deal ahead of a critical week for negotiations over tying immigration and border policy changes to the emergency aid package that can present funding for Ukraine and Israel earlier than lawmakers depart city for the vacations.

Republican Sen. James Lankford and Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, who’re main the immigration and border negotiations, stated in separate interviews on Sunday that talks are ongoing between the 2 sides.

“We are still in the room trying to deal with Republican demands,” Murphy stated on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “We’re not going to put Donald Trump’s immigration policies into statute. … It would be bad for the country. But, we do need to do something to try and resolve this crisis at the border.”

Casting this level in negotiations as “one of the most dangerous moments” in American historical past, Murphy warned in stark phrases in regards to the nationwide safety implications of not reaching a deal.

“Vladimir Putin is delighting right now in Republicans’ insistence that we get a deal on immigration reform, and if we don’t, then they are going to allow Vladimir Putin to march into Ukraine and perhaps into Europe,” the Connecticut Democrat stated on NBC.

Later Sunday, the White House introduced President Joe Biden will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday. “The leaders will discuss Ukraine’s urgent needs and the vital importance of the United States’ continued support at this critical moment,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated in a assertion.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have invited Zelensky to converse at an all-senators assembly on Tuesday morning, in accordance to a Senate management aide. House Speaker Mike Johnson may also meet with Zelensky on the Capitol that day, the Republican’s workplace stated on Sunday.

The president despatched a clear message to lawmakers final week that he’s open to hanging a compromise with Republicans on border safety. While either side of the aisle have expressed an openness to reaching a deal, the 2 sides nonetheless appear no closer to doing so. With House Republicans demanding that the Senate-negotiated deal stick as shut as potential to the House-passed border invoice, HR 2, many Democrats have stated that it’s a nonstarter.

But Lankford, who has remained upbeat all through the talks, expressed optimism that the negotiators have come a good distance from once they began, whilst they’re mired in a political “push and pull.”

“We’ve come a long way. It’s time to be able to finish this and make a decision and do what we can do to be able to help the nation. We can’t do everything on the border, but we can do the things that actually begin to control the border so that the United States is in control of our boundaries, not the cartels,” the Oklahoma Republican stated on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

“This started with the Biden administration saying we need to do a national security package that has Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and the border,” Lankford continued. “Right now, the push and pull is really a political push and pull rather than it is anything else.”

White House funds director Shalanda Young, in the meantime, indicated in a separate interview on CBS Sunday that a deal was nonetheless potential, however warned that calls for with out compromise would tank negotiations.

“You can’t have everything your way in a negotiation. Democrats and Republicans have to vote for this bill. So I agree it’s time to cut a deal that both sides can agree to,” Young stated.

If Congress leaves city for the vacations with out reaching a deal, the White House can have to make tough choices about supplying allies such as Ukraine on the potential expense of US army readiness. Top Biden administration officers have been sounding the alarm for weeks about funding for Ukraine operating dry and the potential penalties.

Murphy, the lead Democratic negotiator, additionally outlined in broad strokes what he sees a potential center floor for the package.

“We don’t want to shut off the United States of America to people who are coming here to be rescued from dangerous, miserable, circumstances in which their life is in jeopardy,” Murphy stated. “We’re not going to support anything that shuts down the border completely to people who legitimately are coming here to have their lives rescued. But, we are willing to talk about tightening some of the rules so that you don’t have ten thousand people arriving a day.”

Morgan Rimmer contributed to this story.

This story has been up to date with further developments.