Okay, this is getting … well, interesting? It’s now 100% clear the border deal is dead. In my first post an hour or so ago it was 98% dead. The ambiguity has now been removed. That’s no big surprise.
What’s at least a bit surprising is the next move. Republicans are now at least saying that Plan B is to strip out all the border stuff and leave in the aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. But the key to remember is that that is how we got here in the first place. Democrats were trying to move an aid bill and Republicans said no aid without a border crackdown. Democrats at first refused linkage but eventually gave way. Then they negotiated this border deal. Now Senate Republicans, at least for the moment, are saying they’ll go back to the aid bill they refused if it didn’t address the border.
LOL.
As far as I can tell, House Republicans still won’t move a Ukraine bill. But perhaps Senate Republicans – many of whom really want Ukraine aide – are pissed enough about how this went that they’ll stick them with it anyway. Who knows?
When James Lankford was asked how it felt being thrown under the bus and run over he replied: “And backed up.”
So everything is proceeding smoothly.
