Democrats Vow to Stay in DC Until Ukraine Border Deal

(DailyDig.com) – If bipartisan negotiations over the border don’t result in a resolution that the chamber might approve by December 15, Senate Democrats have threatened to remain in Washington, D.C., for the Christmas break.

President Biden said that to appease Senate Republicans who have declined to back more assistance to Ukraine in the absence of a fresh crackdown on illegal immigration, he was prepared to make major concessions on border security. Biden bemoaned their refusal to budge from what he considered to be unreasonable expectations.

Republicans were firm on attaching stringent immigration controls to the funding, and on December 6th, they stopped a budget bill that didn’t include these controls.

For weeks, the bipartisan team of senators has been unable to make progress on a border security agreement, despite the need to attach it to a military budget measure that also includes aid for Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine. In a divided government, negotiators from both parties agree that the border provision is essential to getting the law passed by both houses.

Leading the discussions have been Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and James Lankford (R-OK). The main topics of discussion have been the Biden administration’s use of the humanitarian parole power and modifications to the federal asylum policy.

Lankford informed reporters that an agreement could not be reached this week. He stated that there was insufficient time remaining to finalize and approve a measure before members are scheduled to adjourn for the Christmas break.

Murphy informed reporters that discussions between the group and the White House are ongoing, as is their effort to reach a conclusion.

On December 12, Ukrainian President Zelensky made a visit to the Capitol as the Senate tried to complete and approve the bill providing funds for the war.

Late on December 11, Mike Johnson (R-LA), House Speaker, said that if the Senate was able to approve the wider measure and come to an agreement on the border, he would summon Congressmen back to Washington for the vote.