Key border deal negotiator says bipartisan agreement has been reached, could be ready next week
CNN
By Priscilla Alvarez, CNN
(CNN) — Sen. Chris Murphy, a key negotiator on a possible border deal, said Sunday that text of a border compromise could be ready go to the Senate floor next week, saying that negotiators are finishing the text.
“We do have a bipartisan deal. We’re finishing the text right now,” Murphy told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union,” adding that the question remains whether Republicans are going to listen to former President Donald Trump, who has tried to tank the compromise.
“We are sort of finalizing the last pieces of text right now. This bill could be ready to be on the floor of the United States Senate next week. But it won’t be if Republicans decide that they want to keep this issue unsettled for political purposes,” the Connecticut Democrat added.
Murphy said he was pleased to see President Joe Biden support the emerging deal. Biden cited the compromise at a campaign rally Saturday, saying he would shut down the US southern border if given the authority.
“I was glad to hear the president come out and speak forcefully in favor of this bill. I’m hopeful that we will still have enough Republicans in the Senate who want to fix the problem at the border rather than just to do Donald Trump’s bidding, but we will see over the next 24 to 48 hours whether that’s true,” Murphy said.
Components of the deal include a new authority that allows the president to shut down the border between ports of entry when unlawful crossings reach high levels, reforming the asylum system to resolve cases in a shorter timeframe, and expediting work permits.
Murphy underscored that the stakes of this deal — which is tied to Ukraine funding — are high.
“The consequence of failure here is not just that we keep immigration as an open issue available for Donald Trump to exploit in the next election. It is also that Ukraine loses this war, and that Russia marches its army to the edge of Europe — that would be catastrophic for the United States and for the world,” he said.
Still, Murphy maintained he’s confident enough Republicans would support a deal despite ongoing internal GOP divisions and Trump’s efforts to tank it.
Murphy also pushed back on Republicans who argue Biden already has the necessary tools to manage the US southern border.
“Republicans have said openly they want to pass border and immigration reform,” he said.
“All of a sudden, they are against border and immigration reform because they are afraid it’s actually going to pass and many Republicans in the House and some in the Senate actually have no plans to help the president control the border because they want to keep the border in a chaotic situation for political purposes,” Murphy added.
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