McCarthy's Border Security Gambit: A Shift in the Government Shutdown Debate

As Congress hurtles toward a government shutdown, Speaker Kevin McCarthy is attempting to pivot the debate from an issue that has divided Republicans - federal spending - to one where they are united: President Biden's handling of the southern border. By floating a stopgap funding bill that would slash spending while imposing stringent immigration restrictions, Mr. McCarthy hopes to shift the focus away from an issue that has pitted his party members against each other and toward one where they believe Mr. Biden and his party are vulnerable.

The move has sparked bipartisan talks on Capitol Hill, with some lawmakers expressing openness to adding new immigration measures to government funding legislation. Republicans believe the intersection of the funding crisis and a surge of migrants at the southern border provides new leverage to secure additional border security money and changes in Biden administration policy.

Key Takeaways:

• Speaker Kevin McCarthy is attempting to shift the government shutdown debate from an issue that has divided Republicans - federal spending - to one where they are united: President Biden's handling of the southern border.
• A stopgap funding bill floated by Mr. McCarthy would slash spending and impose stringent immigration restrictions, potentially sparking bipartisan talks on Capitol Hill.
• Some lawmakers, including Senators Lindsey Graham, Patty Murray, Jon Tester, and Kyrsten Sinema, have expressed openness to adding new immigration measures to government funding legislation.
• Republicans believe the intersection of the funding crisis and a surge of migrants at the southern border provides new leverage to secure additional border security money and changes in Biden administration policy.
• The Senate has begun considering a stopgap spending patch that would provide $6 billion in aid to Ukraine and $6 billion for disaster relief at home, while the House has focused on individual yearlong spending bills, including one to fund the Pentagon.
• A bipartisan majority overwhelmingly approved legislation providing $300 million in aid to Ukraine, which had been stripped from the larger military bill, while more than 20 Republicans joined Democrats to block a bill with funding for agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.

Statistics:

• The stopgap funding bill floated by Speaker Kevin McCarthy would slash spending while imposing stringent immigration restrictions.
• $6 billion in aid to Ukraine and $6 billion for disaster relief at home are included in the Senate's stopgap spending patch.
• $300 million in aid to Ukraine was approved by a bipartisan majority in the Senate.
• More than 20 Republicans joined Democrats to block a bill with funding for agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.
• The Senate is discussing adding $6 billion to their stopgap spending measure for securing the border and raising the bar of eligibility for migrants seeking asylum.

Sources:

• The New York Times, "McCarthy Seeks to Shift Shutdown Debate to Border Security"