Lindsey Graham Still Wants Border Action Despite Voting Down Deal

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina on Thursday told Newsweek that he still wants Congress to take action toward securing the U.S.-Mexico border, despite Graham's rejection of a bipartisan border deal the day before.

Graham on Wednesday joined GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in voting against a border deal, part of a bill that they and several other Republican senators had initially commended.

The border bill—negotiated for months by Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma, independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Democratic Senator Chris Murphy—would have funded additional enforcement and transformed the asylum system with hopes of disincentivizing illegal crossings. Border Patrol's union, the National Border Patrol Council, backed the measure.

After Republicans said they would not support a funding package to aid Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan unless that package also addressed the border, Democrats made concessions to reach an agreement. With that deal effectively dead, the Senate voted 67-32 on Thursday to open debate on a standalone funding package for the three countries that does not address the border.

Graham, a national security hawk and outspoken supporter of Ukraine, surprised many on Capitol Hill when he announced Thursday that he'd oppose the procedural vote to move forward on that standalone package.

"I don't support going forward until we do a better job on the border," Graham told Newsweek. "I'd like some amendments and some discussion about making the border stronger before I turn to Ukraine."

Newsweek followed up by asking if making the border stronger would involve resurrecting the bipartisan package or introducing more simple funding measures, like the $13.6 billion request President Joe Biden made in October that would be used to hire additional border agents, asylum officers and immigration judges, as well as confront fentanyl smuggling.

Graham said, "I don't know. Definitely some substantive changes. We'll see."

Speaking on the Senate floor later on Thursday, Graham said he opposed the border bill because "it wasn't enough" and wanted amendments. Sinema, who was also on the floor, questioned Graham, reminding that he voted against the motion to proceed, which must pass before amendments could be added. To that, Graham said, "I don't trust the system here."

The response from Graham reflects the overall state of the Senate GOP, which finds itself in intense internal debate over how it should prioritize and go about addressing U.S. national security during a time in which lawmakers like Graham and McConnell have come into conflict with younger Republican senators, like Mike Lee of Utah and Josh Hawley of Missouri, over how America should prioritize international affairs.

A growing faction within the GOP does not support continued assistance for Ukraine. On top of that, former President Donald Trump came out against the Senate border deal shortly after its release, calling it a "gift to Democrats," as he's made border security a focus of his 2024 campaign.

The public stance of Trump triggered a flurry of statements by GOP lawmakers coming out against the deal merely hours after the 370-page bill was released. Ultimately, it became clear the border bill would not have enough support to overcome the 60-vote filibuster threshold, and those like Graham and McConnell who had spoken positively about the bill reneged their support.

Newsweek asked Murphy about Graham's desire for border amendments and what they could look like. Murphy threw up his hands and said, "I'm done."