OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A bill Democrats say would improve border security failed for the second time to pass in the Senate after enough Republicans failed to support it.
The “Border Act,” which was previously blocked in February when linked to foreign aid, failed to meet the 60-vote threshold as a standalone measure to have the upper chamber invoke cloture and proceed with consideration.
Fifty members opposed advancing the bill, while only 43 members supported moving forward with the legislation, which Democrats revived this month, the Daily Wire reported.
One of the members who spent months helping to craft the bill, Senator James Lankford (R-OK), criticized the way the leadership handled the revival of the legislation.
“I’m making it very clear with my vote that this is a stunt — not an attempt to do anything,” Lankford told Newsmax. “And I’m going to be interested in how many Democrats walk away from this.”
Retiring Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a former Democrat-turned-Independent who still caucuses with her old party, criticized them and Republicans alike, accusing them of engaging in “political theater” rather than seriously addressing President Joe Biden’s lax immigration and border security policies.
House Republicans warned that the bill would be “dead on arrival” if it reached them and urged the Senate to pass H.R. 2 instead. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has refused to consider this more stringent border security bill, which the House passed last year.
Biden’s policies have driven immigration to the top of the list of concerns most Americans have heading into the fall elections.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) released a statement after the vote on Thursday, saying Schumer “should join House Republicans in demanding President Biden reverse course and use his executive authority to finally secure the border and protect American families.”
Biden has accused Republicans of failing to act on border security, but they have pointed out correctly that he doesn’t need any new authorities to order his Department of Homeland Security to more aggressively enforce existing immigration laws.
According to an ABC/Ipsos poll conducted between March 8 and 9 of 539 adults, 36 percent of respondents said that they trusted Trump compared to 33 percent who said they trusted Biden, while 30 percent said neither candidate had their trust.
Trump received higher ratings than Biden on all issues except abortion and climate change when respondents were asked about their opinions on the job performance of both presidents, The Post Millennial reported, citing the survey.
New York Democrat headed to the Bronx Rally:
“Biden’s policies are destroying America. Things just keep getting worse and worse. He might get us into WWIII.”
“[Trump] says stuff that angers me but his policies were much better. You can’t even compare.” pic.twitter.com/yYzqKJMwb5
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) May 23, 2024
Trump garnered a 49 percent favorable rating on the economy, contrasting with Biden’s 37 percent. Regarding inflation, 45 percent approved of Donald Trump, compared to 31 percent for Biden. Regarding crime, Trump was viewed more favorably at 41 percent compared to Biden’s 35 percent. Similarly, on immigration, the former president received a 45 percent favorable rating, while Biden trailed with 29 percent.
Another top issue for Americans this year is the economy, and here again, Trump gets a more favorable rating than Biden.
The latest Financial Times-Michigan Ross poll released last week found that former President Donald Trump is trusted more on the economy than Biden by 8 points, 43–35 percent.
“In another worrying sign for the White House, the monthly FT-Michigan Ross survey has consistently found voters trust Trump more than Biden when it comes to handling the economy,” according to the poll analysis, noting that Trump has gained 2 points since the previous survey.
Only 28% of voters say Biden has helped the economy, with a 58% disapproval rating compared to just 40% approval.
