Main leaders in Congress House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), U.S. Senate Minority Leader … [+] Mitch McConnell (R-KY), U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) have all been key to discussions on border deal and aid to Ukraine. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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Former President Donald Trump has signalled he wants any immigration and border security deal tanked so that he can campaign on immigration in the upcoming Presidential elections. Intensive negotiations in the Senate and with the House over President Biden’s proposed $ 109 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan in exchange for unprecedented concessions in decades from Democrats to secure the U.S. southern border have stalled in Congress as a result. In a Senate Republican meeting on Ukraine, McConnell said that time and the political will to pass a bipartisan immigration and border security compromise may have actually run out already. McConnell indicated that there is no longer the desire to find a bipartisan solution to the immigration crisis and Ukraine’s aid package because the “Politics on this have changed,” since former President Donald Trump has made it clear he wants to run his 2024 campaign focusing on immigration. “We don’t want to do anything to undermine him,” McConnell said of Trump. McConnell wants to win the Senate back this November, and he believes that can’t happen without Trump’s support if he’s the GOP nominee.
Two Singular Leadership Opportunities Being Missed
It appears that Congress is about to miss two singular opportunities to make history and strengthen America internally and internationally for the sake of handing Donald Trump the opportunity to make immigration his focus in the upcoming Presidential election.
Border Deal Discussions
After months of in depth bipartisan negotiations to address what many regard as one of the most difficult domestic issues that has plagued Congress for decades, a deal appeared to be within reach. The discussions touched not only on border security, but the other important immigration questions that have been awaiting resolution, such as the Dreamers, H1B visa reform, temporary work issues including agricultural workers, asylum claims, the use of humanitarian parole, and a path to citizenship for long-term undocumented immigrants. As the New York Times
NYT
put it, “For months, Senate Republicans have been working with Democrats on a deal they have described as a once-in-a-generation opportunity for a conservative border security bill, and for weeks, they have hinted that they are tantalizingly close to an agreement.” But then former President Donald Trump intervened causing Republican support to recede because he indicated that he wanted to campaign on the immigration question in the next Presidential election.
Aid To Ukraine
On the international front, Trump’s intervention also scuttled a deal to provide American allies, especially Ukraine the financial aid it needs to repel the invasion of Russia, but also financial aid for Israel and Taiwan. Trump claims he can end the war in Ukraine in one day — a promise that has sparked concern from Ukrainian leaders. They fear that Trump’s simplistic plan would involve the U.S. attempting to cede Ukrainian land to Russia. While he was President, many observers have forgotten that there was an ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine on the eastern front. Despite his claimed friendship with Putin he was unable to resolve it. If he could not resolve it then, how can he claim to be able to resolve the war now?
Historic Parallel
Anyone familiar with European history can see that today’s political situation eerily parallels the events that led up to the outbreak of World War II. Putin’s invasion of Crimea and later occupation of the Donbas, and his current invasion of Ukraine parallels Hitler’s invasion of Austria and military invasion of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia before his declaration of war on Poland. But today’s situation in Europe is far graver than at the outset of World War II because of the existence of nuclear weapons.
Nuclear Arms Involved This Time
The proposed budgetary allocation of $ 60 billion for Ukraine has been stalled by linking it to immigration and the lack of agreement on defending the southern border. This is a very significant matter in the international arena. It is not a question of giving Ukraine a gracious gift but a question of America living up to its commitment in the Budapest Accord. In that accord America made a promise to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty in exchange for Ukraine giving up its nuclear arsenal, then the third largest in the world, to Russia. If America fails to keep its promise American allied countries in NATO, and others such as Taiwan, and South Korea, would seriously question whether America can be relied on as an ally when it counts. Ever! Indeed, as EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell, in an interview with The Guardian, put it, “The European Union’s existence is at stake in Ukraine.” He added, “Putin is not determined to stop full-scale aggression anytime soon, and the danger emanating from “a great power [Russia]
” threatens European democracy.” Indeed, the German tabloid Bild recently reported that European intelligence sources suggest that Russia may launch an attack on Europe during the winter of 2024-2025 should Trump win the election. Is this what America is willing to accept in international affairs? And what about nuclear safety in the future?
American World Leadership At Stake
Democratic and GOP lawmakers and leadership aides believe that there’s still majority support for more Ukraine money among lawmakers. But the problem is how does Congress pass it. Trump has called Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP senators repeatedly to pressure them to oppose the bipartisan bill. Right-wing media have also slammed it on Trump’s behalf. Johnson continues to call on Biden to take executive action to stem illegal border crossing while also pushing the Republican hard line H.R. 2, House border security bill. No Democrats back that bill. The result is that there is no resolution to immigration issues, the American southern border is no safer and there is no aid for Ukraine forthcoming. America’s future as a leading world power flounders in the face of these two significant challenges.
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