Republicans thumbed their nose at Senate Democrats' revival of their border bill Thursday because they viewed it as political theatre, says Sen. John Cornyn. But there's something more, according to the Texas lawmaker: the legislation had not changed from its February failing, and Cornyn says it was an attempt to complicate matters for 2025 when Democrats fear a new administration in the White House.
"The concern was this was not so much a desire to secure the border now as to tie the hands of the next president," Cornyn said on Washington Watch Thursday. "Our Democratic colleagues realize increasingly it looks like President Trump will be president, and they'd like to try to find some way to handcuff him with the current policies that would be part of this bill. It really would make it harder for President Trump to clean up the mess next year."
Even CNN interpreted Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's motives in reviving the bill as less than pure.
"Democrats brought the measure back up after it failed earlier this year in an attempt to put pressure on Senate Republicans and shift the narrative on border security, but the bill exposed divides among Democrats as some came out against it, threatening to undermine the party's messaging effort. The vote was 43 to 50," CNN wrote.
Drama aside, the chief issue for Republicans is that the bill would allow as many as 5,000 migrants per day across the border before there would be any additional resources allotted, Cornyn said. The senator told show host Tony Perkins that border crossings reached 13,000 a day at their peak.
In addition to an old bill with a new vote, there are Republican concerns about President Joe Biden. They don't believe he's sincere in wanting any type of border reform.
"The Biden administration and Democrats have done nothing while millions of migrants have made their way across the border and moved across the country," Cornyn noted. "What kind of confidence can we have that President Biden would actually enforce any law we might pass? He hasn't enforced existing laws which were basically the same as were in effect when President Trump was in office with much different results."
House leaders weigh in
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries accused "extreme MAGA Republicans" of campaigning on the border issues. "Democrats are going to continue to be reasonable, responsible and results-oriented," he said.
But House Speaker Mike Johnson countered that recent history shows it is the Democrats who are doing the campaigning right now.
"After more than three years of claiming the situation at our southern border was not a crisis while millions of illegals poured in, congressional Democrats are attempting to throw an election year 'Hail Mary' to cover for their embrace of President Biden's open-border policies," Johnson said in a statement.
