The missive from McConnell suggests Lankford and fellow negotiators Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) have a lot of work to do as they prepare for another round of meetings on Sunday. Schumer can quickly force another border vote this week and hopes to do so, but the internal message said “no firm decision has been made on having that vote.” Instead, McConnell wrote that “it looks like we are headed into votes on nominations this week.”
Sinema, Lankford and Murphy are meeting daily with leadership aides and Biden administration officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. They cited progress after meetings on Saturday with hopes of producing an agreement sometime this week.
McConnell said he agreed with the negotiating trio that progress is being made, but the negotiations are challenging on their own and only more so due to the time crunch of trying to release some sort of deal before the holiday break. What’s more, the pressure is higher than usual because Ukraine is urgently asking the United States for more aid.
Negotiators are eager to release a framework, but there are several complex policy details to still sort through, according to two people familiar with the talks who were granted anonymity to discuss delicate negotiations.
Several senior Republican senators, including John Cornyn of Texas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said on Sunday television shows that they doubted the closed-door talks could produce an outcome this year.
GOP senators blocked Biden’s supplemental spending request earlier this month because it lacked border security policy changes. And those have been exceedingly difficult to agree on in a starkly divided Congress where immigration reform attempts fail regularly.
Negotiators have so far agreed on raising the standard under which immigrants can seek asylum by claiming a credible fear in their home country. Other issues still under discussion include an expedited removal process and new expulsion authorities.
Republicans also continue to push for policies that Democrats largely object to, including a transit ban, changes to class-based parole authority and triggers that would automate a border shutdown, adding another complicated layer to the talks.
Negotiations on border security between Republican and Democratic senators are facing challenges as they strive to reach an agreement before the holiday break. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated that progress is being made but emphasized the difficulty of the negotiations and the time constraints. The negotiators, Senators Kyrsten Sinema, James Lankford, and Chris Murphy, have been meeting with leadership aides and Biden administration officials, expressing hopes of producing an agreement this week. However, senior Republican senators, such as John Cornyn and Lindsey Graham, have expressed skepticism about the talks’ ability to yield results this year. The negotiations have focused on various complex policy details, including changes to asylum standards and the expedited removal process. Republicans have also been pushing for policies that Democrats largely oppose, such as a transit ban and triggers for automating a border shutdown. Despite the challenges, negotiators are eager to release a framework for a potential deal.
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