Republican frustration mounts with Biden on sidelines of Senate border deal negotiations

President Joe Biden has kept an arm’s length away from Senate negotiations on a border deal essential to securing aid FOR Ukraine and Israel.

Biden’s lack of involvement despite calls from GOP lawmakers to join the discussion is reportedly causing suspicion among Republicans who suspect the White House does not want the president to compromise and reach a deal.

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As vice president, Biden had a strong reputation of working with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

“Joe Biden and I did do some pretty big [deals]: the fiscal cliff deal, the debt ceiling deal,” McConnell told reporters last week, reflecting on the problem. “What I have said to him is, ‘The only way we’ll get an agreement is for you to be involved. Don’t just punt the ball up to Senate Democrats. They may never get there.'”

Republicans claim the White House is stalling efforts to cobble together a military spending bill that would include border security funds, aid to Ukraine and Israel, and strengthening assets in Taiwan.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), part of McConnell’s leadership team on immigration, said on Thursday that negotiating with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is a “waste of time.”

Cornyn added that Mayorkas “has lost the confidence of Congress by repeated dishonesty: that the ‘border is secure,'” adding that only Biden “can commit” to an agreement on border security.

Mayorkas and other senior administration staff did not meet with Senate negotiators until Dec. 13, which many say was too late to secure a spending deal before the new year.

Senate Republicans informed the Biden administration in October that border policy reforms would need to be added to the proposed $61 billion in Ukraine.

Progressives in the Senate, however, are more concerned with the amount of money slated to go toward Israel, with many, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), opposed to Biden’s request for $14.3 billion in aid for Israel.

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Biden is facing significant pressure in public opinion polls for his immigration and Israel policy heading into the 2024 election cycle.

A CNBC All-America Economic Survey published Tuesday revealed that former President Donald Trump is now leading over Biden among Latino voters. A New York Times-Siena College poll from this month found that 72% of voters between the ages of 18 and 29 disapprove of Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict as well.