Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via AP Images
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, February 7, 2024.
The events of the past few days laid bare all of the Republican schisms on Ukraine, Israel, immigration, and the border. In the Senate, Mitch McConnell’s caucus deserted him on a carefully negotiated border bill, leaving him more isolated politically.
In the House, four Republicans joined Democrats to defeat the measure impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Meanwhile, the House failed to pass a stand-alone Republican bill for $17.6 billion in aid to Israel. Speaker Mike Johnson looks more inept and more vulnerable than ever.
What remains to be seen is whether the Democrats can play the GOP disarray to their advantage. The Republicans abruptly blocked a tough border deal whose contents they virtually dictated, only because Trump opposed it.
That gives Biden a strong basis to engage Trump on an issue where public opinion wants the border mess resolved. He sounded strong when he spoke out Tuesday, declaring that Trump “would rather weaponize this issue than actually solve it.” He challenged congressional Republicans to “show some spine and do what they know to be right.”
As expected, the Senate failed to pass the border bill when Democratic Leader Schumer brought it up today. Just four Republicans voted in favor: Lisa Murkowski (AK), Susan Collins (ME), Mitt Romney (UT), and James Lankford (OK). Four Democrats joined Republicans in voting no: Alex Padilla (CA), Bob Menendez (NJ), and Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, both of Massachusetts, as did independent Bernie Sanders (VT). Later today, Schumer will offer a stand-alone foreign aid bill for Israel and Ukraine, another issue that splits Republicans.
This is far from over. The Democrats could try for border legislation again. Biden could attempt to use executive powers to bring more order to the migrant pileup. In normal times, courts would block that kind of move, but right-wing judges might uphold it, paradoxically helping Biden.
On the border issue, everything is now topsy-turvy. Democrats are now for a tough policy they didn’t really want. Republicans blocked a measure they imposed on Democrats. They look like toadies to Trump, which helps with their hardcore base but not with voters generally, especially on this issue.
If the crisis persists, my bet is that it hurts the Republicans more than it hurts Biden and eventually Congress will be compelled to act.
