Senate border bill FAILS for second time. Is that a good thing?

The United States Senate failed to pass an alleged bipartisan border security bill for the second time in three months, leading to accusations of “political theater” on both sides of the aisle. While Democrats blasted Republicans, a majority of whom voted against the bill, for refusing to act to secure the border during an election year in order to maim the president’s reelection bid, Republicans countered that the bill did not actually address the problem.

“If Republicans were truly serious about calling the situation at the border an emergency, they shouldn’t delay any longer,” claimed Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “You can't call something an emergency one day and then suddenly kick the can down the road the next day.”

However, multiple Republicans argued that the bill lacked genuine intent to address border security or resolve the immigration crisis. Instead, they asserted it was primarily a political maneuver aimed at scapegoating Republicans for the failures of Biden’s immigration policy.

“The bill is no longer a bill and now it's just a prop,” lamented Senator James Lankford, who initially helped craft the now twice-defeated bill. “And that's been my frustration. We wrote it to be a bill to try to actually solve the problem.”

“Everyone sees this for what it is,” he added. “It is not an effort to actually make law, it is an effort to do political messaging.”

“If it were a serious effort,” agreed Senator Susan Collins, “we wouldn’t be voting at two o’clock on Thursday right as everyone’s rushing out of town.”

The controversial legislation also exposed a fault line within the Democratic Party, as six members split from leadership to vote against the bill.

Republican concerns primarily revolved around the annual allowance of over 1.8 million illegal aliens entering the country under the bill. Additionally, Senator Ron Johnson highlighted that the bill allocated a substantial $20 billion not for securing the border, but rather for enhancing the efficiency of encountering, processing, and dispersing illegal migrants.

However one looks at it, it’s evident that our elected officials are treating one of the most crucial issues for voters as a mere game rather than providing genuine solutions. Predictably, voters’ reactions to this political maneuver included demands for term limits and other measures to curb Washington’s power.

Of course, by now, we should know that Congress has no intention of voluntarily reducing its power. The only viable path forward is through an Article V convention, where we can check and balance federal spending, power, and terms of office. To join the movement, sign the Convention of States petition below.