A bipartisan group of senators unveiled a $118 billion package on Sunday, Feb. 4, that includes changes to America’s border policies while providing additional aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies. The 370-page bill includes $60 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel and $10 billion in humanitarian aid — including for people in Gaza and the West Bank.
As for immigration reform, the bill includes approximately $20 billion for border security. Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona negotiated the bill.
The bill calls for a mandated border shutdown should the daily average of migrant crossings reach 5,000. The bill also ends the practice known as “catch and release,” where migrants caught crossing the border illegally are released into the U.S. while they wait for their asylum application to be processed.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate would begin the process of moving forward with the legislation this week. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell endorsed the bipartisan bill, but it is already facing opposition.
Just hours after the release of the bill’s text, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R, spoke out against it.
“I’ve seen enough,” Johnson said. “This bill is even worse than we expected, and won’t come close to ending the border catastrophe the President has created. As the lead Democrat negotiator proclaimed: Under this legislation, ‘the border never closes.’ If this bill reaches the House, it will be dead on arrival.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said the bill “will not receive a vote in the House.”
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