House Republicans from Texas are pushing against their GOP colleagues in the Senate over a proposal that would advance Ukraine funding in exchange for border security provisions, arguing the plan doesn’t go far enough to address illegal immigration at the southern border.
Instead, the Texas lawmakers are pressing the Senate to take up the GOP-led border security bill that passed the House earlier this year without any Democratic support — a measure that has failed to garner enough support in the upper chamber for a vote. The letter comes days after Senate Republicans released a border proposal to tie Ukraine funding from President Joe Biden's $106 billion request to funds for immigration policy changes, including tighter restrictions for asylum and parole.
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Nearly all Texas House Republicans signed the letter, which included the delegation’s “Texas Border Plan” released late last year that largely influenced the framework of the House GOP’s signature H.R. 2., and the group said it should be prioritized over bills that combine border security with Ukraine aid.
“Now, nearly one year after this plan was introduced, the crisis at our southern border has only gotten worse. Migrants continue to flow across the border only to get released into the U.S.,” the letter said. “H.R. 2 was built upon the framework nearly every member of the House GOP Texas delegation stands behind. It raises the credible fear standard for asylum to minimize dubious claims, restores Trump-era asylum arrangements, prevents the abuse of parole, ends mass releases, keeps migrant families together, and ensures non-trafficked unaccompanied minors are quickly and safely returned home.”
A group led by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), James Lankford (R-OK), and Tom Cotton (R-AR) spent weeks crafting the Senate proposal to address those perceived shortcomings, with many of the provisions based on H.R. 2. The blueprint, first shared with the Washington Examiner earlier this week, represents an opening offer in negotiations over Ukraine as Republicans demand policy changes in exchange for their votes.
Although Texas Republicans acknowledged “there are other ideas that could be added to aid the effort,” they argued the Senate should instead push for the full passage of H.R. 2 as it was passed in the House.
“Most Senate Republicans have supported these very provisions. In fact, 46 Senate Republicans voted for H.R. 2 in its entirety — and, by proxy, the Texas Border Plan — via an amendment introduced to the debt ceiling bill in June 2023,” the letter added. “Thus, we implore our Senate colleagues to embrace the critical policy changes included in H.R. 2 and the Texas Border Plan in any serious attempt to offer and negotiate solutions to this crisis.”
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The Senate border plan has already been brushed off by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who said the proposal is a “nonstarter” in the Democratic Senate. Schumer has also refused to bring H.R. 2 to the Senate floor for a vote. Even if H.R. 2 did manage to pass the Senate, President Joe Biden has already threatened to veto the legislation should it reach his desk.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has signaled he would also consider separate legislation combining border security and aid for Ukraine, although it’s not clear whether it will gather widespread GOP support.