Senate Republicans Expected to Collapse a major bipartisan border deal and a foreign aid package with assistance for Ukraine and Israel in a vote Wednesday amid a torrent of attacks on the bill from former President Donald Trump and top House Republicans.
Why this is important: A failed vote would amount to a stunning rebuke by Senate Republicans of a deal that would have enacted restrictive border measures and was crafted in part by one of their own members: James Lankford of Oklahoma, one of the chamber's most conservative senators. . Republicans had demanded that border security be part of the bill, but are now rejecting the deal after pressure from Trump, who is making the border a central campaign issue in his race for the White House.
The expected outcome is about to jeopardize aid to Ukraine and Israel, two key US allies, at a critical time. After the vote, lawmakers will face increasing pressure to approve foreign aid alone without any border provisions, an uncertain prospect as some Republicans oppose more aid to Ukraine.
The Senate will hold an initial procedural vote on Wednesday that would require 60 votes for the bill to advance. Defections are expected on both sides of the aisle, but There has been an avalanche of Republican opposition to the deal following its release Sunday night.
If Republicans block the broader package as expected, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to force a procedural vote on an emergency aid package for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan (and abandon the new border deal) , according to a Democratic adviser.
Read more about today's expected vote.
