By Michael Williams and Jack Forrest, CNN
From CNN's Nikki Carvajal
President Joe Biden said Tuesday he’s not ready to consider supporting standalone bills for Ukraine and Israel aid if the border package fails.
“I’m not going to concede that now, we need it all,” the president told CNN’s MJ Lee at the White House. “The rest of the world is looking at us, and they really are.”
Aid for Ukraine and Israel had been linked together by funding for border security as lawmakers worked on a compromise over the last several months.
From CNN's Samantha Waldenberg
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that those who oppose the Senate border bill are “denying aid” to Palestinian people who are “really suffering.”
“This bipartisan agreement also provides Israel with what it needs to protect its people and defend himself against Hamas terrorists, and it will provide the necessary lifesaving humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people,” Biden said. “By opposing this bill, they are denying aid to the people who are really suffering and desperately need help.”
The bill includes security assistance for Israel and humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.
From CNN's Nikki Carvajal
President Joe Biden made a point to illustrate support for the supplemental aid package from conservative groups that supported former President Donald Trump.
“The reforms in this bill are essential for making our border more orderly, more humane and more secure,” Biden said. “That's why the Border Patrol union – which by the way endorsed Donald Trump in the 2020 election – endorses this bill.”
The president described the union as “the people whose job it is to secure the border every single solitary day.”
“They don't just show up for photo ops like some members of Congress,” he said, taking another shot at some on Capitol Hill. “They're there to do their job.”
Biden said the US Chamber of Commerce also endorsed the bill because “they know this bill is not just good for the border, it's also good for American business and for the American economy.”
“It's why The Wall Street Journal endorsed the bill with the headline this morning which reads quote, ‘A Border Security Bill Worth Passing: The Senate has reforms Trump never came close to getting,’ that’s a quote from the journal,” Biden said.
From CNN's Betsy Klein
President Joe Biden explicitly on Tuesday focused on former President Donald Trump in a White House speech, saying the former president derailed a painstakingly negotiated border and national security package that is expected to fail in the Senate.
The remarks offered a preview of a message Biden will repeat constantly in the coming months before the general presidential election.
“All indications are this bill won't even move forward to the Senate floor. Why? A simple reason: Donald Trump,” Biden said in sharp remarks from the State Dining Room of the White House.
Trump, who is hoping to make immigration a key plank of his presidential campaign, has suggested on Truth Social that approving additional resources for the border would make Republicans “look bad.” His attacks on the bill, and those from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has said the bill would be "dead on arrival" in the House, have made the bill's failure all but inevitable.
With immigration shaping up to be a major issue for voters this November, the speech marked an opening salvo as Biden warned he and his allies will blame Trump and Republicans “every day” should the bill fail.
“Every day between now and November, the American people are going to know that the only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends,” he vowed.
The president said that Trump, whom he is widely expected to face in a general election rematch, is blocking the bill for the sole reason that it would give him a political win.
“Donald Trump thinks is bad for him politically. … If it helps the country, he's not for it. He'd rather weaponize this issue that actually solve it. So for the last 24 hours, he's done nothing, I'm told, but reach out to Republicans in the House and Senate, and threaten them and try to intimidate them to vote against this proposal, and it looks like they're caving,” the president said.
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
President Joe Biden said Tuesday failing to pass additional aid to Ukraine amounts to giving Russia and President Vladimir Putin a win -- and warned Republicans who oppose more American assistance: “History is watching.”
“We can’t walk away now. That’s what Putin is betting on,” Biden said.
Biden was speaking as it appeared a package linking changes to border rules with new aid to Ukraine and Israel was on the brink of collapse.
“Supporting this bill is standing up to Putin. Opposing this bill is playing into his hands,” he added.
The president warned there was little time to waste in providing additional assistance to Kyiv, saying the “clock is ticking.”
“Every week, every month that passes without new aid to Ukraine means fewer artillery shells, fewer air defense systems,” he said.
Biden said failure to provide more Ukraine aid would play into Putin’s hands.
“If we don't stop Putin's appetite for power and control in Ukraine, he won't limit himself to just Ukraine, and the costs for Americans and our allies and partners will rise,” he said.
“Failing to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten,” Biden said.
From CNN's Melissa DePalo
Oklahoma GOP Sen. James Lankford, a key Republican negotiator on the bipartisan border deal, told CNN's Dana Bash that he was "legitimately surprised" at where Republicans were on the border bill, a day before the bill will face its first vote in the Senate.
"I'm legitimately surprised at where we are at this moment because -- as Republicans -- we've done lots of press conferences at the border, we’ve had lots of conversations, saying things have to change," Lankford said on CNN's "Inside Politics." He added that some Republicans have moved away from the bill for political purposes.
"I’ve got so many colleagues that are backing away. I'm not saying it's all based on the political reasons,” Lankford said, adding that some Republicans have “issues” with the bill, but that others are backing away “based on the politics of the moment.”
He also did not promise to vote to advance the bill on Wednesday, saying he would be “glad” to “delay it” to give his colleagues more time to review the bill. But said if voting against the procedural motion is “about killing it,” then “we need to find a solution.”
From CNN's Priscilla Alvarez
President Joe Biden suggested Tuesday he’d shut down the US-Mexico border if the proposed border legislation was in place today, embracing one of the toughest measures included in the border bill package.
“If the bill were law today, it would qualify to be shut down right now while we repair it,” Biden said.
If the border bill introduced by the Senate were passed today, the current numbers at the border would allow the Homeland Security secretary to effectively shut down the border to asylum seekers, barring those arriving at ports of entry.
The new emergency authority detailed in the package restricts border crossings if daily average migrant encounters reach 4,000 over a one-week span. If migrant crossings increase above 5,000 on average per day on a given week, DHS is required to use the authority.
Border authorities encountered around 4,800 migrants at the US-Mexico border on Monday, according to a Homeland Security official.
Republicans have argued that those metrics are still not enough, saying that it would allow thousands into the US. But the proposed legislation would dramatically curtail who is eligible for asylum in the US.
From CNN's Michael Williams
President Joe Biden on Tuesday vowed to lay the blame for the potential failure of the Senate border security bill directly at the feet of the GOP, saying he would take that message across the country in the months leading up to the election in November.
"If the bill fails, I want to be absolutely clear about something," Biden said from the White House Tuesday. "The American people are going to know why."
Voters will know that Republicans in Congress said no to the bill, Biden said, "because they're afraid of Donald Trump."
"I'll be taking this issue to the country," the president said. " ... Every day between now and November the American people are going to know: The only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends. It's time for Republicans in Congress to show a little courage, to show a little spine -- to make it clear to the American people that you work for them, not for anyone else."
"I know who I work for," Biden added. "I work for the American people."
From CNN's Kristin Wilson
Senate Republicans took their own leadership to task over the dying security supplemental package, with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz saying he thinks that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s time in leadership should come to an end.
“I think it is,” he said when asked if it’s time for McConnell to go. “Everyone here also supported a leadership challenge to Mitch McConnell in November. I think a Republican leader should actually lead this conference and should advance the priorities of Republicans.”
Cruz railed against entire conference leadership for going along with a bill that “would end in failure.”
“This was always a stupid idea. And the reason it was a stupid idea is because our leadership was not actually seeking to secure the border,” he said. “And the reason this bill got so bad is Republican leadership wanted a Ukraine bill so bad they just said, ‘Give the Democrats what they want so we can get Ukraine funding even if it doesn't solve the problem.’”
“It was obvious this bill would end in failure and yet -- repeatedly every one of us at lunch stood up repeatedly and said, ‘This is where it's going to end,’” Cruz said. “Republican leadership would not listen to reason and now we're in a colossal mess.”
President Joe Biden said Tuesday he’s not ready to consider supporting standalone bills for Ukraine and Israel aid if the border package fails.
“I’m not going to concede that now, we need it all,” the president told CNN’s MJ Lee at the White House. “The rest of the world is looking at us, and they really are.”
Aid for Ukraine and Israel had been linked together by funding for border security as lawmakers worked on a compromise over the last several months.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that those who oppose the Senate border bill are “denying aid” to Palestinian people who are “really suffering.”
“This bipartisan agreement also provides Israel with what it needs to protect its people and defend himself against Hamas terrorists, and it will provide the necessary lifesaving humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people,” Biden said. “By opposing this bill, they are denying aid to the people who are really suffering and desperately need help.”
The bill includes security assistance for Israel and humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.
President Joe Biden made a point to illustrate support for the supplemental aid package from conservative groups that supported former President Donald Trump.
“The reforms in this bill are essential for making our border more orderly, more humane and more secure,” Biden said. “That's why the Border Patrol union – which by the way endorsed Donald Trump in the 2020 election – endorses this bill.”
The president described the union as “the people whose job it is to secure the border every single solitary day.”
“They don't just show up for photo ops like some members of Congress,” he said, taking another shot at some on Capitol Hill. “They're there to do their job.”
Biden said the US Chamber of Commerce also endorsed the bill because “they know this bill is not just good for the border, it's also good for American business and for the American economy.”
“It's why The Wall Street Journal endorsed the bill with the headline this morning which reads quote, ‘A Border Security Bill Worth Passing: The Senate has reforms Trump never came close to getting,’ that’s a quote from the journal,” Biden said.
President Joe Biden explicitly on Tuesday focused on former President Donald Trump in a White House speech, saying the former president derailed a painstakingly negotiated border and national security package that is expected to fail in the Senate.
The remarks offered a preview of a message Biden will repeat constantly in the coming months before the general presidential election.
“All indications are this bill won't even move forward to the Senate floor. Why? A simple reason: Donald Trump,” Biden said in sharp remarks from the State Dining Room of the White House.
Trump, who is hoping to make immigration a key plank of his presidential campaign, has suggested on Truth Social that approving additional resources for the border would make Republicans “look bad.” His attacks on the bill, and those from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has said the bill would be "dead on arrival" in the House, have made the bill's failure all but inevitable.
With immigration shaping up to be a major issue for voters this November, the speech marked an opening salvo as Biden warned he and his allies will blame Trump and Republicans “every day” should the bill fail.
“Every day between now and November, the American people are going to know that the only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends,” he vowed.
The president said that Trump, whom he is widely expected to face in a general election rematch, is blocking the bill for the sole reason that it would give him a political win.
“Donald Trump thinks is bad for him politically. … If it helps the country, he's not for it. He'd rather weaponize this issue that actually solve it. So for the last 24 hours, he's done nothing, I'm told, but reach out to Republicans in the House and Senate, and threaten them and try to intimidate them to vote against this proposal, and it looks like they're caving,” the president said.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday failing to pass additional aid to Ukraine amounts to giving Russia and President Vladimir Putin a win -- and warned Republicans who oppose more American assistance: “History is watching.”
“We can’t walk away now. That’s what Putin is betting on,” Biden said.
Biden was speaking as it appeared a package linking changes to border rules with new aid to Ukraine and Israel was on the brink of collapse.
“Supporting this bill is standing up to Putin. Opposing this bill is playing into his hands,” he added.
The president warned there was little time to waste in providing additional assistance to Kyiv, saying the “clock is ticking.”
“Every week, every month that passes without new aid to Ukraine means fewer artillery shells, fewer air defense systems,” he said.
Biden said failure to provide more Ukraine aid would play into Putin’s hands.
“If we don't stop Putin's appetite for power and control in Ukraine, he won't limit himself to just Ukraine, and the costs for Americans and our allies and partners will rise,” he said.
“Failing to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten,” Biden said.
Oklahoma GOP Sen. James Lankford, a key Republican negotiator on the bipartisan border deal, told CNN's Dana Bash that he was "legitimately surprised" at where Republicans were on the border bill, a day before the bill will face its first vote in the Senate.
"I'm legitimately surprised at where we are at this moment because -- as Republicans -- we've done lots of press conferences at the border, we’ve had lots of conversations, saying things have to change," Lankford said on CNN's "Inside Politics." He added that some Republicans have moved away from the bill for political purposes.
"I’ve got so many colleagues that are backing away. I'm not saying it's all based on the political reasons,” Lankford said, adding that some Republicans have “issues” with the bill, but that others are backing away “based on the politics of the moment.”
He also did not promise to vote to advance the bill on Wednesday, saying he would be “glad” to “delay it” to give his colleagues more time to review the bill. But said if voting against the procedural motion is “about killing it,” then “we need to find a solution.”
President Joe Biden suggested Tuesday he’d shut down the US-Mexico border if the proposed border legislation was in place today, embracing one of the toughest measures included in the border bill package.
“If the bill were law today, it would qualify to be shut down right now while we repair it,” Biden said.
If the border bill introduced by the Senate were passed today, the current numbers at the border would allow the Homeland Security secretary to effectively shut down the border to asylum seekers, barring those arriving at ports of entry.
The new emergency authority detailed in the package restricts border crossings if daily average migrant encounters reach 4,000 over a one-week span. If migrant crossings increase above 5,000 on average per day on a given week, DHS is required to use the authority.
Border authorities encountered around 4,800 migrants at the US-Mexico border on Monday, according to a Homeland Security official.
Republicans have argued that those metrics are still not enough, saying that it would allow thousands into the US. But the proposed legislation would dramatically curtail who is eligible for asylum in the US.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday vowed to lay the blame for the potential failure of the Senate border security bill directly at the feet of the GOP, saying he would take that message across the country in the months leading up to the election in November.
"If the bill fails, I want to be absolutely clear about something," Biden said from the White House Tuesday. "The American people are going to know why."
Voters will know that Republicans in Congress said no to the bill, Biden said, "because they're afraid of Donald Trump."
"I'll be taking this issue to the country," the president said. " ... Every day between now and November the American people are going to know: The only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends. It's time for Republicans in Congress to show a little courage, to show a little spine -- to make it clear to the American people that you work for them, not for anyone else."
"I know who I work for," Biden added. "I work for the American people."
Senate Republicans took their own leadership to task over the dying security supplemental package, with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz saying he thinks that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s time in leadership should come to an end.
“I think it is,” he said when asked if it’s time for McConnell to go. “Everyone here also supported a leadership challenge to Mitch McConnell in November. I think a Republican leader should actually lead this conference and should advance the priorities of Republicans.”
Cruz railed against entire conference leadership for going along with a bill that “would end in failure.”
“This was always a stupid idea. And the reason it was a stupid idea is because our leadership was not actually seeking to secure the border,” he said. “And the reason this bill got so bad is Republican leadership wanted a Ukraine bill so bad they just said, ‘Give the Democrats what they want so we can get Ukraine funding even if it doesn't solve the problem.’”
“It was obvious this bill would end in failure and yet -- repeatedly every one of us at lunch stood up repeatedly and said, ‘This is where it's going to end,’” Cruz said. “Republican leadership would not listen to reason and now we're in a colossal mess.”
