Republican senators block Ukraine-border bill after Donald Trump opposes it

Senate Republicans blocked the path forward on a security package that included restrictions to immigration in exchange for aid to Ukraine, Israel and allies in the Indo-Pacific.

The legislation—which Senators James Lankford of Oklahoma, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Chris Murphy of Connecticut—failed 49-50 as a majority of Republican senators voted against the legislation. Speaker Mike Johnson and the rest of Republican leadership in the US House of Representatives opposed it as well.

Many Republicans came out with their opposition after former President Donald Trump condemned the legislation.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticised Republicans for opposing legislation when they demanded that any security package include increased restrictions on immigration.

“Today, senators face a decision several months in the making,” Mr Schumer said in a floor speech before the vote to end debate. “Will Senate Republicans vote to start debate – just a debate – on bipartisan legislation to strengthen America’s security, stand with Ukraine, and fix our border – or will they cow to Donald Trump’s orders to kill this bill?”

Both allies of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and allies of Mr Trump voted to end debate on the bill.

“I think that we need to keep working on a product that will move us forward and we need something that will be acceptable to the House as well,” Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa told The Independent.

Republican senators had pushed to include measures they said would secure the US-Mexico border in exchange for aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia and Israel after the deadly attack by Hamas on 7 October. Mr Trump criticised the negotiations before the negotiators released the bill text on