Murkowski Votes to Debate Legislation to Address Border Crisis, Provide Aid for U.S. Allies
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) voted in favor of procedural motions to begin debate on two measures related to the migrant crisis at the southern border and aid for U.S. allies.
The first motion, which failed last night by a vote of 49-50, would have invoked cloture on the motion to proceed to bipartisan legislation addressing both the migrant crisis at the southern border and provided aid to U.S. allies including Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.
The second motion, which passed today by a vote of 67-32, invoked cloture on the motion to proceed to legislation that focuses exclusively on foreign aid. The successful vote simply allows the Senate to begin debating and processing the bill, including through amendments.
Murkowski issued the following statement:
“The southern border is in crisis, which is why I voted to proceed to consideration of a measure that is clearly imperfect but that is what an amendment process allows for – a path to improve a negotiated product. Republicans have rightfully raised the southern border as a priority for months, and I’m bitterly disappointed that we wouldn’t even agree to debate the bill that we demanded which leaves us stuck with the status quo.
“We’re supposed to be the world’s greatest deliberative body. We’re supposed to legislate in response to crises and emergencies. But instead of legislating on matters of importance to the country, we have given in to the politics of the moment and left the Biden administration’s failing policies in place at the southern border for the next nine months, and potentially a lot longer.
“While our failure to address the border crisis is just that – an abject failure – we hope to have a path forward to provide crucial assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Israel faces a multi-front war, Ukraine is fighting Russian forces to preserve its existence, and China continues to threaten Taiwan. The world is looking to America to lead, and we must keep our promises to our allies to help maintain global order and security.
“The Senate hasn’t met the moment, but we can still help our allies, which is why I will be working with my colleagues to advance this foreign aid package as soon as possible.”
The foreign aid package includes $60 billion in military support for Ukraine, $14.1 billion in security assistance for Israel, $4.8 billion for U.S. Indo-Pacific partners like Taiwan, and $10 billion for humanitarian assistance. The majority of funding in the bill, which equates to roughly 1.5% of all federal spending in FY 2023, will actually stay within the United States, supporting jobs and businesses across our nation.
