Sen. Klobuchar hails bipartisan immigration-Ukraine funding deal
WASHINGTON — One of Minnesota's U.S. Senators is applauding the bipartisan immigration agreement reached Sunday between the Senate and the White House.
The agreement gives President Joe Biden enhanced powers to suppress illegal border crossings as well as more congressional support for funding Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar says the Afghan Adjustment Act, which she co-authored with a bipartisan group comprised of a dozen senators and House members, was re-introduced and added to the agreement.
The Senate-White House agreement also includes elements of the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which Klobuchar says she supports. The legislation would boost funding to fight fentanyl trafficking.
"This package will provide important assistance to communities along our borders and stem the flow of fentanyl; ensure critical humanitarian aid is reaching Palestinians; and deliver needed support to U.S. allies across the world," Klobuchar said.
The immigration-foreign aid agreement — negotiated by the White House, Republican Sen. James Lankford, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy and independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema — is in reaction to threats from GOP lawmakers who said they would refuse to back more military funding for Ukraine unless security was beefed up at the U.S.-Mexico border.
While many conservatives have spoken out in support of the deal, CBS News reports Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Sunday it would be "dead on arrival" when it reaches the GOP-majority House for a vote.
"This bill is even worse than we expected, and won't come close to ending the border catastrophe the president has created," Johnson said.
Johnson and other Republicans instead want Biden to mitigate problems at the border with executive orders.
