From WSJopinion: Thanks to a legislative maneuver, Senate Democrats plan to tout their support for border security despite knowingly working against it
Normally a lawmaker’s voting record should tell you where he stands, but keep an eye out for sleight of hand. Thanks to a legislative maneuver, Senate Democrats plan to tout their support for border security despite knowingly working against it.
The vote in question came Sunday during amendments to the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, the tax-and-spending bill Senate Democrats passed later that day. Republican Sen. James Lankford proposed an amendment to extend Title 42, the Covid-era policy that allows speedy removal of border crossers. President Biden wants to cancel the policy but a federal judge in May blocked his attempt. The Lankford amendment should’ve looked appealing to several Democrats who have spent months talking tough on immigration. When President Biden first proposed in April to end Title 42, several Democrats joined their GOP peers in backing a bill to keep it in place. That included Arizona Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly, New Hampshire’s Maggie Hassan, and Jon Tester of Montana. The group held to their stance publicly while knowing Majority Leader Chuck Schumer would block the bill from getting a vote. And when Mr. Lankford’s amendment came up for a vote, they joined fellow Democrats to nix it on a party-line vote. Remarkably, they then devised a way to maintain their hawkish ruse. Shortly after the first Title 42 amendment was shot down, Sen. Tester proposed another. His version also pledged to restore the border-expulsion policy, but unlike Sen. Lankford’s it lacked a funding provision. This time Mr. Tester backed the amendment, joined by Sens. Sinema, Kelly and Hassan, along with Catherine Cortez Masto and Raphael Warnock. The latter four are, not coincidentally, running for re-election this year. But fellow Democrat and Majority Whip Dick Durbin challenged the amendment on procedural grounds, saying its lack of funding violated Senate budget reconciliation rules. The amendment fell short of the 60 votes it needed to pass and was left out of the bill’s final version. Catch the trick? With a waive of the hands, six Senate Democrats gained the ability to tell constituents they voted for border security despite opposing the measure when it counted. Stunts like this are one reason America has a dysfunctional immigration system that works for no one other than the criminal gangs that extort migrants as they make the dangerous trip across the U.S.-Mexico border. Journal Editorial Report: The week's best and worst from Kim Strassel, Kyle Peterson and Dan Henninger. Images: CNP/Zuma Press/Shutterstock/ Composite: Mark KellyAppeared in the August 10, 2022, print edition.
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