2024-01-28 15:34:00
(CNN) — Sen. Chris Murphy, a key negotiator on the border issue, said Sunday that the text of a border compromise might be ready for presentation on the Senate floor next week, and said negotiators were finalizing the text.
“We have a bipartisan agreement. We’re finalizing the text right now,” Murphy told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union,” adding that the question remains whether Republicans are going to listen to former President Donald Trump, who has tried to thwart the commitment.
“We are finalizing the final details right now. This bill might be ready to be on the floor of the United States Senate next week. But it will not succeed if Republicans decide they want to keep this issue unresolved for political reasons,” the Connecticut Democrat added.
Murphy said he was pleased to see President Joe Biden support the emerging agreement. Biden cited the pledge at a campaign rally Saturday and said he would close the U.S. southern border if given the authority to do so.
“I was glad to hear the president speak strongly in favor of this bill. I am hopeful that there are enough Republicans in the Senate who want to solve the problem at the border instead of simply following Donald Trump’s orders, but we will see in the next 24 to 48 hours if this is the case,” Murphy said.
Components of the agreement include new authority that allows the president to close the border between ports of entry when illegal crossings reach high levels, reform the asylum system to resolve cases in a shorter period of time and expedite work permits.
Senator Chris Murphy speaks to the media at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 9, 2024. (Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA/AP)
Murphy stressed that there is a lot at stake in this agreement, which is also linked to the financing of the Ukraine war.
“The consequence of failure here is not only that we keep immigration an open issue and available for Donald Trump to exploit in the next election. It is also that Ukraine loses this war and that Russia brings its army to the edge of Europe; that would be catastrophic for the United States and for the world,” he said.
Still, Murphy maintained he is confident enough Republicans will support the deal despite ongoing internal GOP divisions and Trump’s efforts to thwart it.
Murphy also pushed back once morest Republicans who argue that Biden already has the tools necessary to manage the U.S. southern border.
“Republicans have openly said they want to pass border and immigration reform,” he said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, center, speaks alongside Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw and Texas Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer during a news conference on June 8, 2023 in Austin. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
“Suddenly, they are once morest border and immigration reform because they fear it will actually pass and many Republicans in the House and some in the Senate actually have no plans to help the president control the border because they want to keep the border in a chaotic situation for political purposes,” added Murphy.
1706465803
#Key #border #negotiator #bipartisan #agreement #reached #ready #week
