{"id":2169915,"date":"2024-02-07T05:37:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T10:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mcconnell-surveys-gop-wreckage-after-senate-border-deal-falls-apart\/"},"modified":"2024-02-07T05:39:32","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T10:39:32","slug":"mcconnell-surveys-gop-wreckage-after-senate-border-deal-falls-apart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mcconnell-surveys-gop-wreckage-after-senate-border-deal-falls-apart\/","title":{"rendered":"McConnell assesses GOP damage as Senate border deal crumbles"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmcconnell-surveys-gop-wreckage-after-senate-border-deal-falls-apart%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2169915&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Senate border deal&#8217;s dramatic collapse on Tuesday has left Republican leadership in a state of uncertainty regarding how to pass aid for Ukraine. However, Senate Minority Leader Mitch \u2064McConnell (R-KY) faces an \u2063even more\u2064 challenging\u2062 problem:\u200b a conference in disarray and outright rebellion. \u2064Conservatives\u2062 successfully fought against the border \u200blegislation, convincing a majority of\u2064 Senate Republicans to \u2064oppose it. McConnell now finds himself\u2064 trying to\u200d pick up the pieces while \u200chis hold\u2064 on the\u200b conference is in doubt. The divide within the party seems \u2063almost insurmountable.<\/p>\n<p>Initially, McConnell saw border security as a way to unite\u2062 Republicans who\u200b were divided over funding for Ukraine. He demanded policy changes as a condition for the White House&#8217;s request for over $60\u2064 billion in Ukraine funding, \u2062and for a while, it seemed to bring the \u2064conference together. However, the legislation&#8217;s details, combined with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-congressmen-optimistic-on-state-elections-today\/\" title=\"Virginia Congressmen Optimistic On State Elections Today\">shifting political climate<\/a> as Donald Trump emerged as the likely GOP nominee, dashed any \u200chopes of \u2062the bill&#8217;s passage.<\/p>\n<p>Even before the text of the bill was\u200c unveiled, it became a messaging nightmare. The White House agreed to close the border when crossings reached 5,000 encounters \u200dper day, but leaks fueled a narrative that \u2064the bill would &#8220;codify&#8221; that level of illegal immigration. Within 24 hours of its release, the bill was dead.<\/p>\n<p>The only consensus among Republicans afterward was that Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), the chief \u2063negotiator in the\u200b border talks, was not to blame. McConnell praised him for producing a &#8220;quality product&#8221; in a divided government,\u200d even though he acknowledged that the \u200cdeal had &#8220;no real chance&#8221; in a press conference.<\/p>\n<p>McConnell attributed the\u200c problem to politics rather than policy. He stated that things had \u2062changed over the past four months, and Speaker Mike Johnson had made it clear \u200cthat he wouldn&#8217;t take up the bill even\u200b if it was\u2064 sent to him. McConnell expressed hope that the Senate would move forward on a bill funding Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, but without the \u200cborder component. However, this alternative\u2062 plan is unlikely to appease conservative discontent within \u200cthe conference.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200cGOP \u2062rift extends beyond Ukraine and the supplemental bill.\u200b Conservatives argue that \u2063McConnell&#8217;s approach excludes input\u200c from members, a\u200d perception fueled by months of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-prepared-to-lift-sanctions-on-irans-top-terrorism-financers-senator-says\/\" title=\"Biden Admin Prepared to Lift Sanctions on Iran\u2019s Top Terrorism Financers, Senator Says\">closed-door negotiations<\/a> on the border deal. McConnell\u2064 defended \u2063himself against these attacks, stating that he \u2064followed the instructions of his conference, who wanted to tackle the border issue in October.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200c finger-pointing has just begun as Republicans consider their \u2062next steps, but this uproar\u2063 is not the beginning of the conservative rebellion \u2063against \u2064McConnell. \u2063The same senators who blame him for the \u2064failed deal also voted against his run for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-to-give-ukraine-everything-it-needs-for-as-long-as-it-takes-biden-national-security-adviser-says\/\" title=\"Biden's adviser promises full support to Ukraine indefinitely.\">minority\u2063 leader<\/a> in 2022. While McConnell easily defeated a leadership challenge, the anger \u2064that\u2062 prompted it remains.<\/p>\n<p>For \u2063now, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is content to let Republicans vote against the defense bill on the Senate floor. However, the fate of Ukraine aid will\u2064 depend on how\u200c Democrats decide to proceed after the Republican about-face. Some\u200b Republicans, like Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), are open to separating Ukraine and Israel funding, but the problems between McConnell and the conference&#8217;s conservatives are \u2063likely to persist regardless of \u200cany changes in leadership style.  <\/p>\n<h2> What were the \u2063specific concerns about funding and \u2064resources for securing the border that conservatives had \u2063with the legislation?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  That the bill did not \u2062go \u2064far enough in \u2063addressing their concerns about border security.\u2064 Many conservatives felt that the legislation was \u2062too weak and did not provide sufficient funding or resources \u2062to effectively \u2063secure the border. They also believed that \u200bthe bill did not do enough to address other immigration issues, such as visa overstays and\u2062 asylum\u200c loopholes.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the timing of \u200bthe collapse of the border deal could not have been worse for McConnell and\u200b the Republican leadership. With the Ukraine\u2064 aid package still in limbo, the party was already facing criticism for not doing \u2064enough to hold Russia accountable for its aggression in Ukraine. The collapse of the border deal only added to the perception that the party was divided and ineffective in its response to global \u2063crises.<\/p>\n<p>The rebellion within the conference also highlights the growing divide within the \u200dRepublican Party. On one side are the moderates who are willing to work towards bipartisan solutions and compromise on key issues.\u200b On the other side are \u2064the conservatives \u200bwho are pushing\u200d for a more hardline approach on issues such as immigration and government spending.<\/p>\n<p>This division is not a new phenomenon within the party, but it has become more pronounced in recent years.\u200c The rise of the Tea Party movement has energized the conservative base \u200band pushed the party further to the right. This has created friction between the more \u200cmoderate and conservative factions, making it difficult for the party to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-will-democrats-utilize-mechanism-to-go-around-mccarthy-and-prevent-a-government-shutdown\/\" title=\"Will Democrats bypass McCarthy to avoid government shutdown?\">find\u2064 common \u2063ground<\/a> on important issues.<\/p>\n<p>Moving forward, McConnell and the Republican leadership face an \u200buphill battle in trying\u2064 to \u2062unify the conference and pass aid\u200b for Ukraine. They will need \u200bto find a way to appease the conservative members of their party while also addressing the concerns of the more moderate members. This will require deft negotiation \u200band compromise, skills that \u2062have been in\u2062 short supply in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>The collapse of the Senate\u2064 border deal and the rebellion within the conference highlight \u200dthe challenges that the Republican Party faces in governing effectively. The \u200bdivide within the party threatens to undermine\u2062 its \u2063ability to pass meaningful legislation and respond to important \u200cissues facing the country. \u2064As the 2020 elections approach, it is crucial\u200c for the party to find a\u2064 way to bridge this divide and\u200b present a united front if \u200dit hopes to retain power. \u2063Otherwise, it\u2063 risks being seen as a party\u200b in disarray and \u200bout of touch with the needs of the American \u200dpeople.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Senate border deal&#8217;s collapse has left Republicans unsure how to pass aid for Ukraine. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell faces a bigger issue with a disorganized and rebellious conference. Conservatives emerged victorious from a bitter battle<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2651,"featured_media":2169916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP24037755934229.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2169915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP24037755934229.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2169915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2169915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2169915\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2169916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2169915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2169915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2169915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}