WASHINGTON: The fates of US military aid to Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion and the politically explosive issue of illegal immigration into the United States were up in the air Friday as President Joe Biden rebuked congressional Republicans for stalling on a deal.
The Republican speaker of the House of Representatives said Congress is not ready to approve renewal of US military aid crucial to Ukraine for its desperate fight against Russian invasion, because there is no parallel deal on reinforcing the US-Mexican border — a major conduit for undocumented migrants.
The Senate “appears unable to reach any agreement,” wrote Speaker Mike Johnson in a letter to lawmakers, adding that in any case his party would not give approval in the House, meaning it “would have been dead on arrival.”
But Biden responded in a statement that Republicans and Democrats have in fact been working intensively on a bipartisan deal to address those border security issues.
“What’s been negotiated would — if passed into law — be the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border we’ve ever had in our country,” he said in a statement. “If you’re serious about the border crisis, pass a bipartisan bill and I will sign it.”
“It would give me, as president, a new emergency authority to shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed. And if given that authority, I would use it the day I sign the bill into law,” he said.
The bipartisan deal had advanced in the Senate in recent days. It would couple massive new aid for pro-Western Ukraine’s military — soon entering its third year of fighting off President Vladimir Putin’s invasion — and wide-ranging reforms to US immigration policy, including more ability to seal the porous southern border.
But the complex negotiations now appear to have collapsed.
This follows lobbying by Donald Trump, the former president and likely Republican nominee to contest the November presidential election.
Trump, who has questioned the US support for Ukraine’s war effort, has placed fear over illegal immigration at the heart of his platform.
This week he called the extensive border reforms being negotiated “meaningless,” although senior Republicans had previously praised the proposed measures as the toughest new restrictions on border crossings in years.
Democrats narrowly control the Senate, while Republicans have their own slim majority in the House, with far-right Trump allies holding the balance of power there.
Johnson said Biden was responsible for a “border catastrophe” and said Republicans would seek to remove Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in an impeachment process starting next week.
A vote on impeaching Mayorkas will be held “as soon as possible,” Johnson wrote.
The Democratic-controlled Senate will all but certainly acquit Mayorkas, meaning he will not be forced from his job, which includes responsibility for border security.
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Republicans, Biden clash over fate of US border, Ukraine
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Republicans, Biden clash over fate of US border, Ukraine
- Trump, who has questioned the US support for Ukraine’s war effort, has placed fear over illegal immigration at the heart of his platform
Trump fires homeland security chief Kristi Noem
- Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said Markwayne Mullen, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, would take over from Noem
- Trump: Noem ‘has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!)’
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Thursday fired Kristi Noem as head of the Department of Homeland Security, the agency responsible for carrying out his sweeping immigration crackdown.
According to multiple media reports, Trump was upset with Noem’s testimony at a Senate hearing this week where she said the president had approved a $220 million DHS advertising campaign in which she featured prominently.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said Markwayne Mullen, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, would take over from Noem at the powerful department on March 31.
The president said Noem, 54, would become his special envoy for a new security initiative in the Western Hemisphere he called “The Shield of the Americas.”
Noem “has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!),” Trump said.
Trump described Mullin as a “MAGA Warrior” and said he will be a “spectacular Secretary of Homeland Security.”
Mullin’s nomination will be subject to confirmation by the Senate, where Republicans hold a majority.
“Markwayne will work tirelessly to Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, End the Scourge of Illegal Drugs and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN,” Trump said.
Deportation policy
The Republican president campaigned for the White House on a pledge to remove millions of undocumented migrants from the United States and DHS is the chief enforcer of his deportation policy.
Noem came in for bipartisan criticism at Tuesday’s Senate hearing over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
“Under your leadership, the Homeland Security Department has been devoid of any moral compass or respect for the rule of law,” Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, told Noem.
Durbin and other Democrats repeatedly asked Noem to apologize for the deaths of two Americans shot dead by federal agents in Minnesota during protests against the immigration crackdown and for calling them “domestic terrorists.”
Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, had harsh words for Noem’s tenure at DHS and called for her resignation.
“What we’ve seen is a disaster under your leadership,” Tillis said. “What we’ve seen is innocent people getting detained that turn out are American citizens.”
Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, questioned Noem about the $220 million spent by DHS on television advertisements urging undocumented migrants to self-deport.
Noem said the advertisement campaign had been “effective.”
“They were effective in your name recognition,” Kennedy shot back.
Noem’s firing comes amid a partial shutdown at DHS.
Democrats oppose any new funding for DHS until major changes are implemented to how the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency conducts its operations.
They have demanded curtailed patrols, a ban on ICE agents wearing face masks and a requirement that they obtain a judicial warrant before entering private property.
According to multiple media reports, Trump was upset with Noem’s testimony at a Senate hearing this week where she said the president had approved a $220 million DHS advertising campaign in which she featured prominently.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said Markwayne Mullen, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, would take over from Noem at the powerful department on March 31.
The president said Noem, 54, would become his special envoy for a new security initiative in the Western Hemisphere he called “The Shield of the Americas.”
Noem “has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!),” Trump said.
Trump described Mullin as a “MAGA Warrior” and said he will be a “spectacular Secretary of Homeland Security.”
Mullin’s nomination will be subject to confirmation by the Senate, where Republicans hold a majority.
“Markwayne will work tirelessly to Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, End the Scourge of Illegal Drugs and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN,” Trump said.
Deportation policy
The Republican president campaigned for the White House on a pledge to remove millions of undocumented migrants from the United States and DHS is the chief enforcer of his deportation policy.
Noem came in for bipartisan criticism at Tuesday’s Senate hearing over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
“Under your leadership, the Homeland Security Department has been devoid of any moral compass or respect for the rule of law,” Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, told Noem.
Durbin and other Democrats repeatedly asked Noem to apologize for the deaths of two Americans shot dead by federal agents in Minnesota during protests against the immigration crackdown and for calling them “domestic terrorists.”
Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, had harsh words for Noem’s tenure at DHS and called for her resignation.
“What we’ve seen is a disaster under your leadership,” Tillis said. “What we’ve seen is innocent people getting detained that turn out are American citizens.”
Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, questioned Noem about the $220 million spent by DHS on television advertisements urging undocumented migrants to self-deport.
Noem said the advertisement campaign had been “effective.”
“They were effective in your name recognition,” Kennedy shot back.
Noem’s firing comes amid a partial shutdown at DHS.
Democrats oppose any new funding for DHS until major changes are implemented to how the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency conducts its operations.
They have demanded curtailed patrols, a ban on ICE agents wearing face masks and a requirement that they obtain a judicial warrant before entering private property.
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