Democratic negotiator ‘still shaking’ over Ukraine assistance / border package collapse - The Hill

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), one of the lead Democratic negotiators behind the hard-fought border security deal, called the bill’s collapse due to a diminishment of GOP support “shocking.”

“I mean, the whole thing is still shocking to me. I am still shaking, having watched the most bizarre, maddening phenomenon I’ve ever been a part of in politics,” Murphy told The Washington Post’s The Early 202 newsletter. “On Sunday afternoon, we had 20 to 25 gettable Republicans. Twenty-four hours later we had four.”

Most of the GOP conference in the upper chamber, save four Republicans, voted against advancing a motion to proceed on a border security package in a 49-50 vote Wednesday.

The border component was part of a larger national security supplemental package, which included emergency foreign aid to assist Ukraine and Israel’s war efforts and increase security around the Indo-Pacific. The deal, which collapsed Wednesday, followed months of negotiations led by Murphy, Republican Sen. James Lankford (Okla.) and Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.).

Senate GOP members have insisted any further aid to Ukraine must be tied with border security reform.

Asked if the negotiations were “for nothing” follow the bill’s demise, Murphy said: “I think every time you try to strike a big compromise, you have to realize there’s a chance of failure.”

“I think it’s important for the parties to be continually trying to find common ground — even on the big, tough issues like immigration, even if we fail,” he continued. “As we speak, we don’t yet know what the fate of Ukraine funding is.”

Murphy added, “But it could be that the disaster of the last 48 hours inside the Republican Party has shamed them into supporting a clean bill funding Ukraine, Israel and humanitarian assistance. Time will tell.”