The G.O.P. abandoned a bipartisan border security bill that also aided Ukraine after Democrats called their bluff on immigration, agreeing to tough measures Republicans demanded.

Their idea was to tie approval of military assistance to Ukraine to tough border security demands that Democrats would never accept, allowing Republicans to block the money for Kyiv that many of them oppose while simultaneously enabling them to pound Democrats for refusing to halt a surge of migrants at the border. It was to be a win-win headed into November’s elections.

But Democrats tripped them up by offering substantial — almost unheard-of — concessions on immigration policy without insisting on much in return. Now it is Republicans who are rapidly abandoning a compromise that gave them much of what they wanted, leaving aid to Ukraine in deep jeopardy, border policy in turmoil and Congress again flailing as multiple crises at home and abroad go without attention because of a legislative stalemate.

  • RentlarEnglish
    8·
    9 months ago

    I have to say it’s quite the gambit by the Democrats. I am not pleased by how many concessions they were willing to give to the Republicans, but their Trumpy about-face needs to be capitalized on by Democrats if it stalls in the Senate.

    Hammer the message home especially across the Southern U.S… House and Senate Republicans care more about getting elected and enjoying their cushy D.C. jobs, than actually doing something about the border “crisis” they manufactured.

    It’s a two party system, but only one party knows how to govern and one party knows how to play politics.