Speaking with KGUN ahead of today’s procedural vote in the Senate on the National Security Supplemental Package which includes $20 billion for border security, Senator Mark Kelly says he doesn’t expect even this initial vote to pass.
“We have a vote to proceed to debate, and it looks like it will fail,” Kelly said.
The Senate requires 60 senators to vote yes to proceed to bring the bill to the floor to have a debate.
Kelly said Tuesday was one of the most disappointing days he has had as a Senator when he realized they likely didnt have enough votes.
Some Democrats are not supporting the bill, but a majority of Republicans deciding to not support it as well is what will likely prevent any advancement for the current package in Congress.
This is what people hate about Washington the most, Kelly said. When people put politics over solving a problem.
Kelly said by putting politics over a problem, he means former President Trump telling Republicans not to vote for the package because he wants the border to continue being an issue in the 2024 election.
In the last week, this became very political, Kelly said. Last week, we had the votes.
The bill has been endorsed by the Border Patrol Union.
What I dont want to see is my Republican colleagues coming down to Arizona and screaming about the border anymore, Kelly said.
"We have a vote to proceed to debate, and it looks like it will fail."
— Adam Klepp (@AdamKleppAZ) February 7, 2024
I spoke with AZ Senator Mark Kelly this morning about the upcoming procedural vote in the senate today on the border bill.
He said Tuesday was one of the most disappointing days he's had as a U.S. Senator. pic.twitter.com/Uu4iidfh1a
The over $100 billion dollar package negotiated in part by Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema also included $60 billion for Ukraine.
Senator Kelly says the money for Ukraine is essential for stopping Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian army has recently made gains in Ukraine as the country deals with an ammunition shortage.
He [Putin] is on the doorstep of Europe. And we do not know if he is successful in Ukraine where he will go next, Kelly said.
Even as the vote is expected to fail, the border crisis will remain. And Senator Kelly says he will continue to work on trying to find border solutions in congress.
We got really, really close here and were going to continue to work on this until we get it done, Kelly said.