Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, White House aides and Senate negotiators met Friday to continue working toward an agreement on a supplemental spending package including border policy changes. The negotiators are aiming to have their framework out by Sunday or Monday, Punchbowl News reports, but that may not be possible given the significant obstacles that remain.
Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, who has been leading talks for Republicans, told reporters late Friday that negotiators have “a long way to go on a lot of issues.”
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the Arizona independent, told reporters that the talks were making progress. Sen. Chris Murphy, leading the negotiations for Democrats, reportedly acknowledged earlier in the day that the notion that a bill could be ready for the Senate floor next week is “very aggressive,” but said that the current emergencies require the effort. “We still have disagreements,” Murphy said. “But we have made progress.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that his chamber would vote next week on a supplemental package “no matter what,” but Democrats will also have some internal disagreements to reckon with as they consider border reforms.
“A growing number of Senate Democrats, including Latino caucus members, are sounding the alarm over leaks that say the administration is prepared to support new authority to expel migrants without asylum screenings and expand their detention and deportation,” The Hill reported Friday morning.
Case in point: “If @SenScumer thinks he can send us home for the weekend, quietly cave to Republicans’ anti-immigrant demands while nobody is watching, and then ambush Democrats expecting us to vote yes with a smile, he is TERRIBLY MISTAKEN,” Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey wrote in a social media post Thursday.
The bottom line: Senate negotiators are still racing to reach a deal amid concern that their momentum could evaporate once lawmakers return home for the holidays. But the chances of reaching an agreement and passing legislation within days still appear to be remote.
