This article is part of a capsule series called #ThisIsWhatYouNeededToKnow

Senate Republicans voted on Wednesday to kill a bipartisan border bill that also provided aid to Israel and Ukraine, according to the Associated Press. The $118 billion deal, negotiated by Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, was deemed “dead on arrival” by Speaker Mike Johnson in a post on X (formerly Twitter) before the vote.

As NBC News explains, the bill would have forced the Department of Homeland Security to temporarily close the U.S. southern border when crossing attempts passed a daily average of 5,000 over seven days. A Reuters analysis also highlighted that out of the $118 billion, only $20.2 billion was destined for border security. The rest of the money would have been allocated to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel and Gaza. 

Before the vote, former President Donald Trump went to Truth Social to criticize the bill and described it as a “highly sophisticated trap for Republicans.” His post brought the attention of many Democrats, including President Joe Biden, who pleaded with senators to “show some spine” and ignore the pressures from the Republican presidential frontrunner.

However, while the defeated border deal suffered a major blow, Senators voted on a bipartisan basis to open debate on a Ukraine-Israel aid package. As The Washington Post reports, it is the first time in more than a year that Congress has taken steps to pass a standalone aid package after previous efforts have failed. The chances of the bill getting a majority of the Senate votes is uncertain.
“Failure to pass this bill would only embolden autocrats like Putin and Xi, who want nothing more than America’s decline,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on the floor.