Sources: Biden Considers Trading Immigration Reform For Ukraine Aid
Americans could soon learn whether President Joe Biden cares more about catering to undocumented migrants or supporting the Ukrainian military.
After the GOP-led House of Representatives elected a new speaker, the chamber got busy crafting an alternative to the White House’s $105 billion aid package that primarily included spending for Ukraine, but also provided funding for Israel and other issues, such as the border.
For their part, House Republicans put forward a spending bill with a much narrower scope, providing aid to Israel — but not Ukraine — and funding the package with cuts to the IRS.
As negotiations between the two sides continue, sources close to Biden indicate that he might be willing to support stronger immigration laws in exchange for GOP lawmakers’ backing off from their opposition to ongoing Ukraine support.
Politico cited a total of four unnamed sources who were privy to the ongoing discussions regarding a potential compromise, noting that the Biden administration appears receptive to the idea of implementing new asylum reform measures as part of a larger package that includes aid for Ukraine.
One former Biden administration official suggested that such a deal might backfire on the president, calling it “a huge substantive risk, and political one” that “could get ugly.”
Nevertheless, Biden has repeatedly insisted that he is committed to continue propping up the Ukrainian military for “as long as it takes” despite sagging public support for the policy.
Furthermore, there is a growing — and increasingly bipartisan — demand for action on the nation’s southern border as a migrant crisis continues to negatively impact cities across the country.
A number of big-city Democratic mayors recently signed a letter requesting support from the president.
“We believe we have a unique opportunity to work with the White House and Congress over these next few weeks to create an immigration and asylum system that will treat our newcomers with dignity and respect and be fair and equitable to cities and neighborhoods across the country,” they wrote.
One of the sources quoted by Politico acknowledged the current political reality in the context of the administration’s negotiation with House Republicans.
“It’s pretty hard to ignore when both parties in Congress, the White House and mayors from major cities all agree that there needs to be resources and changes with regard to how we manage migration,” the former administration official explained. “But where it quickly breaks down is what does that look like and what are the specific policy changes?”
