Lankford stands by border bill despite GOP criticism: ‘Read it yourself
Sen. James Lankford Responds to Republican Criticisms of Border Security Bill
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) has fired back at fellow Republicans who have criticized the proposed border security bill released by Senate negotiators. In a passionate defense of the legislation, Lankford urged his colleagues to actually read the text of the bill instead of relying on online posts.
Several prominent Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), have already voiced their opposition to the bill. Lee even stated that he needed a few weeks to read the lengthy 370-page document. However, Lankford, who played a key role in negotiating the bill, argued that it was important for lawmakers to personally review the bill and not simply rely on social media posts.
“It’s interesting that he said he’s already opposed to it. He needs three weeks to be able to read it, but he’s already opposed to it. So again, people have got to be able to read it, go through it themselves. Don’t just go off a Facebook post somewhere on what the bill says,” Lankford said. “This dramatically changes asylum and dramatically changes deportations. We no longer have a 10-year backlog. It builds more wall. Those are the key things that it actually does, but read it for yourself. Don’t just believe what’s online.”
When questioned about Johnson’s rejection of the bill, citing a post by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) claiming that “the border never closes” under the bill, Lankford emphasized that the GOP had an opportunity to make positive changes with this proposed legislation.
“The key aspect of this again is, are we as Republicans going to have press conferences and complain the border’s bad and then intentionally leave it open after the worst month in American history in December? Now we’ve got to actually determine: Are we going to just complain about things, or we’re going to actually address in a change as many things as we can?” Lankford said.
Lankford also highlighted that the deal would have been unimaginable for the GOP just two months ago and challenged his Republican colleagues to take action on the border crisis.
“If we have this shot — it’s amazing to me. If I go back two months ago and say we had the shot under a Democrat president to dramatically increase detention beds, deportation flights locked down the border, to be able to change the asylum laws, to be able to accelerate the process, no one would have believed it,” Lankford said.
“And now, no one actually wants to be able to fix it and says I don’t want to even debate it. I don’t want to discuss it. We have to decide as Republicans what are we going to actually do about the border: Leave it open or actually leave it closed?” the GOP senator said.
Lankford advised his fellow Republicans that, given the circumstances, the bill presents an opportunity to make positive changes.
“At the end of the day, let’s do everything we can. We do have a Democratic president. We have a Democrat Senate. We have a Republican House. This is a moment to solve as many things as we can and then keep working on the next thing,” the Oklahoma Republican said.
The bill is expected to face significant opposition in the House of Representatives, with GOP leaders expressing their disapproval. The Senate is set to hold an initial vote on the bill on Wednesday.
The border security bill also includes aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Johnson has countered the bill with a separate Israel aid bill for the House of Representatives to consider this week.
What specific measures does the bill propose to improve border security and address illegal immigration?
The border open or are we going to step up and actually close the border, and that’s what this does,” Lankford explained. “It actually changes the policy so that those who are showing up at the border illegally, they actually go through a legal process.”
Lankford believes that it is important for lawmakers to understand the details of the bill and the impact it will have on border security before forming an opinion. He emphasized the need for a thorough review, stating, “We have to read and understand what’s actually in the bill. The details matter, and it’s not enough just to say, ‘Well, I don’t like it’ or ‘I saw one post on social media.’”
The border security bill has been a topic of intense debate within the Republican party, with some members expressing concerns that it does not go far enough in addressing illegal immigration and securing the border. However, Lankford maintains that the bill represents a step forward in improving border security and tackling the immigration issue.
“It actually funds more for more Border Patrol agents,” Lankford stated. “It actually funds more judges, so we can actually hear the cases more quickly. It puts resources in place to actually build miles of border wall.”
Lankford concluded his response by urging his fellow Republicans to give the bill a fair chance and not dismiss it without reading the text. He emphasized the urgency of the situation and the need for action, stating, “We’ve thought through this well, we’ve worked through it well, and I think it will actually improve the situation at our southern border.”
As the debate over the border security bill continues, it is clear that Sen. James Lankford is committed to defending and promoting the proposed legislation. He has called on his fellow Republicans to fully examine the bill and make an informed decision based on its content, rather than relying on third-party opinions or social media posts.
Only time will tell if Lankford’s impassioned defense will sway his fellow party members and secure support for the proposed border security bill.
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