Senator Murphy: Border Security Bill Out "This Weekend"

Lead Democrat negotiator Chris Murphy (D-CT) has said in a statement on X, that the long-awaited bipartisan Senate bill to overhaul US-Mexico border security will be out "this weekend."

• Murphy: "Republicans said the border is a priority and we should craft a bipartisan bill to help control the border. We did that. We have a deal. This weekend we will release the bill and vote next week. It’s decision time."
• Murphy's statement comes after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told reporters yesterday that the final text of the legislation will be released by Sunday.
• The package will be released amid pessimism in the Senate that any border bill can pass Congress under opposition from former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
• Senate negotiators hope the final text can sufficiently overcome the “internet rumours” and “misinformation” which have prompted backlash from conservatives, but the politics of an election year will hamper any major legislative action, especially one which could patch up one of President Biden’s key political vulnerabilities, despite what is in the final bill.
• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), an advocate for both the border package and President Biden’s USD$110 billion national security supplemental, will likely need at least half of his 49 Senators to line up behind the bill to apply pressure on Speaker Johnson to consider the bill.