McConnell Supports Lankford’s Bipartisan Border Deal at GOP Leadership Press Briefing Transcript

Well it won’t surprise you to know that we had an extensive, detailed discussion about border security, and Senator Lankford basically fielded questions from our members. I think we’re going to continue to try to get to an outcome here, but I don’t have an announcement at the moment that we’re there. But I think we’re close. Senator Lankford is doing an extraordinary job trying to represent the various points of view of Republicans, and we continue in our discussions with the majority leader.

We all mourn the loss of three American soldiers, tragically killed this weekend, and are praying for the speedy recovery of the dozens who were injured. Our troops have been consistently under attack in the Middle East. The number of attacks is on the order of about 165. Been going on since October, and they would not be possible without the support of Iran. These are Iranian proxies that are conducting these attacks against our troops, and in this case, lethal.

(01:32)
And that’s why it’s really important that the Biden administration take very clear steps to send a message to Iran that this isn’t going to be tolerated. It just isn’t. It’s long past due for the president to retaliate, and bring to an end these attacks, and to defend our troops overseas. And one thing he could do obviously is stop taking actions that weaken the United States’ ability to project power on the global stage, and at the same time enabling our adversaries like Iran.

(02:11)
It’s been announced, as you know, that the president intends to end or suspend permits for LNG export projects. To me, that is a huge mistake, and sends entirely the wrong message at a time when countries around the world are paying attention to everything that the Americans do. This is an energy issue. All it does is enable and strengthen the Mullahs in Iran, and in places like Russia. These are the types that this administration, if they were serious about sending a clear message to Iran, would not be taking.

(02:49)
And so I hope the administration will think better of it. We know that Russia and Iran are expanding their LNG export capabilities, and are eager to have more European countries dependent upon them for energy. The United States could do something about that. It would send a strong message on the world stage. This sends a weak message to our adversaries, as well as to our allies.

Eight years ago on this very day, 21-year-old Iowan Sarah Root was struck and killed by an illegal immigrant who was driving under the influence of alcohol and drag racing through the streets. She was struck, she was killed, and yet the illegal immigrant that struck and killed her was released from the custody of law enforcement due to a gap in our laws. That illegal immigrant was able to slip into the shadows, and has never been brought to justice. Eights years later, and we still have not found the perpetrator. He was released from the custody of law enforcement, even with a record. So I have introduced yet once again, my Sarah’s Law, and Sarah’s Law would close up these gaps and allow us to hold those illegal immigrants so they can be brought to justice. That’s what Sarah’s family is asking for, is justice for their daughter, who had just graduated on that very day from college with a 4.0 GPA. So we need to close up the gaps in the law.

(04:52)
And you can see after December the increase of illegals that are coming to our border, 302,000 in December, illegal crossings into the United States. Yet President Biden won’t shut the border down. December was the highest month on record. In this past fiscal year, we’ve had 50 illegal crossings by people on the FBI’s terror watch list. This is unacceptable to the American people, and it puts our people in danger. It is time this administration put the safety of our American citizens first, not illegal immigrants. Sarah’s Law is the first step to doing that.

Afternoon everybody. I wanted to talk about the same topic, one of the topics that our whip, Senator Thune talked about. And that is the incredibly shortsighted, and really unpredictable decision that the president made on Friday when he made it official that they are going to pause any new natural gas terminals, or export terminals for LNG. So when the Russians invaded Ukraine, what did the president tell Europe? “We’ll help you replace that natural gas that you’ve been buying from Russia.” So by doing this, he’s actually endangering not just us here, an energy independent country, but also our friends and allies in Europe.

(06:42)
The one thing Senator Thune didn’t ask was why would he do this? Why would he do this? And I think the reasons are quite simple, and I’m going to quote from three different news sources. The AP, “Biden is hoping the decision helps him win back young voters.” The Wall Street Journal, “The administration hopes its climate change gesture will boost the president’s flagging political support among young people.” And lastly The Washington Post, “An olive branch to young voters.”

(07:17)
Why did he do it? Political reasons for his own reelection. And to me, as we look at how this will empower Iran, how this will empower Russia with their natural gas exports, and the grip they have on that part of the country, the president is willing to sacrifice that? Everything we’ve seen over the last two years, we know what Iran and we know what Russia’s capable of, and yet our president, for political reasons, to try to get younger voters to vote for him, he’s willing to pause. Not to even mention all the jobs, investments, and everything else that hits my area as well in the Marcellus Shale, as we move down to the coast, to the LNG terminals. So it’s extremely disappointing, shortsighted, very costly to the American people, and really to our global friends all around the world.

So good news usually never breaks on a Friday night, especially from the Biden administration. Usually what they’re breaking on Friday night are the border numbers, but not this past Friday. This past Friday was a statement from the president that says, and I quote, he “Needs a bill that would give me as president a new emergency authority to shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed, and if given that authority, I would use it the day I signed the bill into law.”

(09:02)
Mr. President, come on man. On day one of your administration, hours after we were on the west side of the Capitol watching the new president being sworn in, in January of ’21, one of the first things he did of course was he killed the Keystone Pipeline, but don’t ever forget within hours, he rescinded the national emergency declaration at the border. Rather than leave in place policies that kept our border under control, remember he also stopped the construction of the wall. Mr. President, you did the exact opposite. It’s why we have folks streaming across the border at record levels who are on the terror watch list from countries designated as state sponsors of terror.

(09:57)
And let’s be very clear. President Biden could use his executive authority to stop it now, but he refuses. He could issue that executive order right now that would address the Department of Homeland Security abuse of parole power, expediting removal, and restricting reentry.

Let me add one thing. We had a lot of discussion obviously about the border around here, but it’s important to focus on the other rationale for the supplemental. You’ve got two friends in the middle of a huge fight, Israel, Ukraine. They need help, and hopefully we can work this border issue out in a way that’s satisfactory, but there’s bipartisan support here in the Senate for both Israel and Ukraine, and hopefully at some point we’ll get them the help that they need.

Leader McConnell, with that said, we thought we were going to have something on Ukraine, this international aid package back in the fall. You made it conditional for aid to Ukraine to have this border security piece here. Looking back at how long and how tedious these negotiations are, was that a mistake, to marry these two things together?

Well it’s certainly been a challenge, to try to reach an agreement on the border. That’s why we’ve been talking about this so long. I always thought it would be a challenge, and it has been, but it’s time for us to move something. Hopefully including a border agreement, but we need to get help to Israel and to Ukraine quickly.

Leader McConnell, leader McConnell.

Alex?

Would you support proceeding on a Ukraine border security deal if it didn’t have support of at least a majority or half of your conference?

I don’t know how it’s going to end up being presented, and we’ll see what the final package looks like.

Leader McConnell, how do you think voters would look at Republicans if the GOP were to kill a bipartisan deal that you cut with the White House because of Donald Trump’s opposition?

Well, I think I’m going to continue not to comment on the presidential campaign. Obviously this is a incredibly challenging political discussion we’ve been having. I still favor trying to make law when you can, and I do think that what Senator Lankford and his team are going to produce is an improvement over current law. You’re asking me a question I can’t answer right now, which is what is the fate of it.

Leader McConnell, on the tax deal, do you support that if it came over here?