The White House is stepping up its engagement with lawmakers seeking a bipartisan deal to provide military aid to Ukraine and Israel while bolstering U.S. border security, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said Sunday.
Republicans have insisted that additional funding for Ukraine must be accompanied by major changes to U.S. border security, but a bipartisan group of senators trying to find room for compromise has made little progress.
At the same time, there is less than a week left before Congress leaves for the Christmas break.
“The White House will be more proactive this week,” Murphy told NBC News.
Murphy, who is leading Democrats in negotiations, said it was important to know whether President Joe Biden would sign any deal that had a chance of success.
Reuters reported last week that the Biden administration is open to introducing new restrictions on asylum in the United States as part of the deal.
Murphy said Republicans’ current border security demands are “unreasonable” and that they are “playing with the security of the world” by tying military aid to U.S. border security efforts.
Some Republicans are pushing for border measures that would quickly deport immigrants who cross the border illegally without giving them a chance to seek asylum in the United States. They are also calling for significant cuts to Biden programs that have allowed hundreds of thousands of immigrants to enter the country legally.