WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate is preparing to bring a bipartisan border bill to the floor on Thursday. The bill, a compromise negotiated by Democrats and Republicans, was defeated in February by a filibuster.
Wisconsin Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin held a news conference in support of the bill Wednesday urging the Senate to pass the bill.
“The result is a strong measure, even endorsed by the largest border patrol union, that curbs the flow of fentanyl from coming across our border and expedites the asylum process and boosts border security,” she said. “This measure is desperately needed.”
The bill will provide 100 new inspection machines for ports of entry meant to detect drugs like fentanyl before they cross the border into the U.S. It would also fund the hiring of more than 1,500 Customs and Border Protection officers, provide more resources to communities along the border struggling to provide to new migrants, and speed up the work permit application process.
While Wisconsin is far from the southern border, Baldwin highlighted the 1,400 deaths from opioid overdoses in the last two years in Wisconsin as a way the situation at the border affects Wisconsinites.
“We can and must do more to stop the illicit drugs that are coming into our communities and we have that chance right in front of us,” Baldwin said.
in 2020 80% of opioid deaths were from synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
The border bill faces a major uphill battle in the upper chamber, with significant Republican opposition likely to doom the bill to another successful filibuster. Senator Ron Johnson also weighed in on the bill at a news conference attended by senators from multiple states who are all united in opposition.
“This bill is worse than doing nothing because it reduces the authority of a president that was serious about securing the border,” Johnson said.
Baldwin stressed the nature of compromise, saying nobody got what they wanted fully in the border bill. She’s disappointed in the fact that the bill does not provide a path to citizenship for DREAMers but said the bill is still progress.
“If Republicans want to vote against that progress, that’s their choice,” Baldwin said.
The vote will be held on Thursday, May 23.
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