In a critique posted on Truth Social, former President Donald Trump expressed strong disapproval of the recently unveiled Senate border bill, asserting that it paints Democrats as adept border handlers while unfairly blaming Republicans for the crisis.
Trump characterized the bill as “horrendous” and questioned the wisdom of anyone, other than a “Radical Left Democrat,” supporting it.
The bipartisan bill stipulates the possibility of a border shutdown if illegal immigration exceeds an average of 5,000 encounters over a five-day period.
Trump Labels Senate Border Bill ‘Horrendous'(Credits: The Washington Post)
Trump, however, argued that the bill is a gift to Democrats, absolving them of responsibility for the immigration and border situation and placing the blame squarely on Republicans.
He cautioned against supporting the bill, describing it as detrimental to the Republican Party and emphasizing that Democrats broke immigration and the border, urging them to fix it.
Trump’s commentary on Truth Social also emphasized the importance of passing a border bill independently, divorced from legislation related to foreign aid.
Despite the bill allocating over $60 billion to Ukraine and other locations, Trump insisted on separating border security issues from foreign aid considerations.
With security anticipated to be a prominent issue in the lead-up to the 2024 elections, negotiations in Congress have taken on added significance, especially in light of the potential Trump-Biden rematch.
House Speaker Mike Johnson joined Trump in criticizing the proposal, declaring it worse than expected and promising it would not gain passage in the House.
Johnson’s assertion that the bill would be “dead on arrival” in the House reflected the challenges in reaching a consensus between the House and Senate on funding for both border security and foreign aid.
Congressional Republicans, including Rep. Eli Crane, lambasted the bill for allocating more funds to Ukraine than to the border, deeming the priorities of the “Swamp” as disturbingly disproportionate. Despite the bill’s touted bipartisan nature, it faced criticism from some Senate Republicans as well.
Sen. Bill Hagerty highlighted a provision allocating $1.4 billion to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for the resettlement of illegal aliens, characterizing it as a misuse of tax dollars to appease Democrat sanctuary city mayors and emphasizing that this is not the border security that Democrats truly desire.
In summary, Trump’s condemnation of the Senate border bill underscores the deep political divisions surrounding border security and immigration policies.
His critique, echoed by other Republicans, reflects a broader disagreement over priorities, funding allocations, and the fundamental approach to addressing the complex challenges at the border. As discussions continue, the bill’s fate hangs in the balance amid competing visions for border security and foreign aid.
