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THE SENATE

GOP praises W.H. openness to new border restrictions

Let’s start with this: White House and Senate negotiators are expected to meet about a border security-Ukraine package at some point today. Plans aren’t yet finalized.

And Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell just met briefly with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. McConnell didn’t comment as he exited Schumer’s office.

But it’s important to note that Senate Republicans, who have sharply criticized the White House’s posture on the border, are now commending the White House’s openness to new immigration restrictions as both sides try to revive the flailing negotiations ahead of Congress’ looming holiday recess.

GOP senators say they see it as a positive sign that the White House communicated to Senate negotiators that they’d consider bringing back a temporary expulsion authority used during the pandemic, known as Title 42, or something similar. This would allow U.S. officials to quickly deport migrants.

“This is something to build on,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who’s close to the talks, calling it “good-faith.”

Senate Republicans have said any agreement needs to carry the support of at least half the GOP conference in order to help sell it to the House.

That means agreeing on border policies that would dramatically reduce the number of illegal crossings, which are setting records almost daily. Republicans also want to crack down on the parole process. That would limit the number of migrants allowed into the country while their asylum claims are adjudicated.

“I’m hopeful that Democrats both here and at the White House are beginning to recognize how committed we are to addressing the crisis at our southern border,” McConnell said on the floor. “I’m hopeful that we can reach an agreement.”

The ramped-up tempo of negotiations — with direct involvement of senior administration officials — is a recognition by the White House that President Joe Biden’s push to get billions of dollars in new Ukraine funding isn’t going anywhere without an immigration deal. That would require some serious concessions from Biden and Democratic leaders on the Hill.

“To the extent that I’ve heard some Democrats express concern, I think that’s progress,” Tillis added. “[The White House] genuinely wants funding for Ukraine. But number two, they genuinely want to get this yoke off their neck, which is the out-of-control border… I think it’s the convergence of those two things.”

Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus are scheduled to hold a press conference at 3 p.m. to sound the alarm about the proposals and pressure the White House to resist the GOP demands. Progressives fear that Biden will cave to Republicans out of desperation to secure new Ukraine aid.

Schumer said Wednesday that negotiators made “real progress” over the last 24 hours.

“Democrats are still trying to reach an agreement,” Schumer added. “Republicans need to show they’re still serious about getting something done.”

The timetable is the big question here. The Senate is scheduled to leave town for the holidays at the end of this week. GOP leaders have said it’s impossible to reach an agreement that can be written into legislative text and voted on this month. They’ve also pointed to Speaker Mike Johnson’s desire to send the House home at the end of this week.

GOP negotiators want the Senate to stay in session no matter what the House does. This would theoretically put pressure on the House. But it could also mean the agreement sits idle for at least a few weeks, allowing critics to publicly whack it. That’s never a good move.

Senate Minority Whip John Thune said that despite the progress, it’s still “unlikely” that the Senate stays in session past this week.

— Andrew Desiderio

IMMIGRATION

Salazar, Escobar pitch bipartisan solution to border and immigration

Two Hispanic leaders in the House are pushing a bipartisan bill that would create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants while also boosting border security funding.

Reps. Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) and Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) are promoting their “Dignity Act,” which would provide $25 billion toward border security efforts, expand E-verify programs and offer deportation protection for undocumented immigrants who have been in the country for five years and want to work. It would also create a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers.

“The reason we are here is because Congress is stuck,” Salazar said during a small pen-and-pad session. “The Senate has found out how difficult it is to deal with immigration.”

Of course, addressing immigration and border policy has long been an insurmountable hurdle for Capitol Hill.

This is evident in the ongoing negotiations happening in the Senate, where Republicans have demanded border policy changes in exchange for backing more Ukraine aid. The White House is scrambling to get a deal with Senate negotiators before the holiday break tomorrow, but that seems unlikely at this point.

And any changes negotiated in a bipartisan Senate deal would be minimal compared to what longtime immigration advocates want to see and what Salazar and Escobar are proposing. Still, Congress can’t even seem to get that done.

As we reported earlier this week, progressive lawmakers and immigration advocates are urging the White House to not cave into the GOP’s demands for hardline policies to restrict migrant flow at the border. And many Republicans aren’t open to conversations about providing a pathway to citizenship for immigrants, even Dreamers brought here as children.

Escobar said she’s been in talks with her House colleagues and has pitched her bipartisan bill to several senators including Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.).

But Escobar also acknowledged the difficulty of passing such legislation in a politically polarized time. The Texas Democrat said the growing number of moderate lawmakers retiring will make it even harder.

“We have a window of opportunity that is very quickly shutting,” Escobar said. “Congress is becoming more extreme, more divided. We are seeing the loss of dealmakers in the Senate and in the House.”

– Mica Soellner

THE CAMPAIGN

Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Ala.), who is locked in a Republican-on-Republican primary with Rep. Barry Moore (R-Ala.), has a new spot running in the Dothan, Ala., media market. It starts with this quip: “People ask me, ‘Jerry, is Biden really running the country?’ Yeah, straight into the ground.”

Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) is running his second taxpayer-funded ad in two days – this time about veterans benefits. Again, this is paid for by MRA funds – not campaign funds.

– Jake Sherman

DOWNTOWN DOWNLOAD

LG Electronics, the South Korean electronics giant, has registered an in-house lobbyist. LG also employs Akin Gump as an outside lobbyist.

– Jake Sherman

CLIP FILE

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