James Lankford

📞 405-231-4941

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A bipartisan Senate border security bill negotiated over months by Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Kyrsten Sinema collapses after former President Trump publicly instructs Republicans to vote against it, saying he doesn't want Biden to get credit for fixing the border before the election. The bill would have created a new emergency authority to restrict border crossings, reformed the asylum system, and added 1,500 new border agents. McConnell, who had initially endorsed the framework, withdraws support under pressure from Trump. The episode is widely cited as the clearest example of Trump using his influence to block legislation for electoral advantage.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announces that the bipartisan border security bill, negotiated by Republican Sen. James Lankford, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, and Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, will fail after former President Donald Trump explicitly instructs House and Senate Republicans to reject it, reportedly saying he does not want Biden to get a border "win" before the election. The bill would have provided $20 billion in border security funding, created new emergency authority to shut down the border when crossings exceed 5,000 per day, revamped the asylum system, and increased deportation flights. Even Republican negotiator Lankford concedes Trump killed it for political reasons.

Senate Republicans, led by Mitch McConnell, block a $106 billion emergency supplemental package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, demanding that border security provisions be attached before any foreign aid can pass. The standoff begins in December 2023 and lasts through February 2024, when the bipartisan Lankford-Murphy-Sinema border deal collapses under pressure from Donald Trump. Ukraine suffers months of artillery shell shortages while the funding gap persists. The blockade marks a historic shift in Republican foreign policy, with McConnell warning it could cost Ukraine the war.

Migrant crossings at the southwest border surpass 250,000 in a single month, the highest on record, as a combination of asylum backlog, criminal smuggling networks, and Biden's expansion of CBP One create pressure on border communities. Biden demands Congress pass a bipartisan border security deal being negotiated in the Senate by James Lankford, Chris Murphy, and Kyrsten Sinema. Former President Trump publicly pressures House Republicans to kill the bill to deny Biden a political win. Senate Republicans ultimately tank the bipartisan deal in February 2024, with Trump claiming credit. Biden issues an executive order restricting asylum in June 2024.