WASHINGTON — An election-year dispute over immigration policy emerged on Tuesday as the latest obstacle to quick approval of a $10 billion coronavirus response bill, as Senate Republicans refused to advance the measure without a vote to keep in place pandemic-era border restrictions that President Biden has moved to lift.While lawmakers in both parties have said they support the money for vaccines, testing and therapeutics, Republicans blocked action on it on Tuesday, insisting that the chamber first vote to maintain the immigration policy, known as Title 42, which has restricted immigration at U.S. land borders since the beginning of the pandemic.Democratic leaders declined to hold such a vote, which would expose deep divisions in their ranks over the Biden administration’s decision to wind down the order, and jeopardize passage of the broader package. It could also put some of their members at risk of a backlash from voters at a time when Republicans have tried to portray them as lax on immigration.Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, said the legislation “should not be held hostage to extraneous unrelated issues,” and instead tried to push ahead with the funding package. The move failed on a vote of 52 to 47, with one Democrat, Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, joining all Republicans in opposition.“There’s still some time — I hope my Republican colleagues change their tune quickly,” Mr. Schumer said after changing his vote to “no,” a maneuver that allows him to move to reconsider the bill. The package would allocate at least $5 billion for therapeutics, as well as money for testing and vaccines.Read More About U.S. Immigration
New Asylum Policy: The Biden administration has finalized a plan that would radically change the process for people seeking asylum in the United States allowing them to avoid overburdened immigration judges.Undocumented Immigrants: As it ends contracts and looks to reduce bed capacity at detention facilities, the government appears to be moving away from incarcerations.Trump-Era Policies: President Biden promised to unravel his predecessor’s harsh immigration rules. But in court, his administration has been fighting to keep some restrictions in place.A Closed Door: More than 40,000 Afghan allies who didn’t get on a U.S. evacuation flight applied for emergency entry. Most have been denied.“Today’s Senate vote is a step backward for our ability to respond to this virus,” said Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary. “We will continue to work with the House and Senate to move this vital legislation forward.”While the Senate can try to take up the measure again, the unsuccessful vote on Tuesday signaled that final passage of aid that the Biden administration has said is urgently needed may slip until later this month, when Congress returns from a two-week break. Both chambers are scheduled to leave Washington at the end of the week.“I’d like to move as quickly as possible,” said Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, who helped lead negotiations over the plan but opposed moving forward without a commitment to vote on the immigration issue and others. “Usually things have kind of a normal life cycle, and you’d hate to have them delayed by two weeks.”Senate Democrats are also pushing to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court as early as Thursday, further complicating the prospects of salvaging a quick vote on the pandemic money. Any agreement to speed it through the Senate would require the support of all 100 senators, and Republicans said they were unwilling to do so without guaranteed votes on proposed additions.“It will require, I think, several amendments in order to get across the floor,” said Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader. “So if the majority leader tries to move forward, we’ll have to have a discussion about a reasonable amendment process.”While Republicans have pushed for other amendments, the most politically fraught provision they hoped to put to a vote would bar the Biden administration from ending the Trump-era pandemic restrictions at the border, which have granted officials the ability to turn away migrants, including those seeking asylum.In announcing plans on Friday to end the order in late May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cited “current public health conditions and an increased availability of tools to fight Covid-19.” But Republicans argued that it was contradictory for the administration to implement that policy change while asking Congress to approve more pandemic aid.“Getting that money replenished is significantly complicated by announcing in the same week that you’re going to determine that Section 42 of this effort to fight this disease is no longerBy: Emily Cochrane
Title: Pandemic Aid Bill Stalls Amid Dispute Over Immigration Restrictions
Sourced From: www.nytimes.com/2022/04/05/us/politics/pandemic-aid-immigration-senate-republicans.html
Published Date: Tue, 05 Apr 2022 23:16:17 +0000
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