The G.O.P. abandoned a bipartisan border security bill that also aided Ukraine after Democrats called their bluff on immigration, agreeing to tough measures Republicans demanded.

Their idea was to tie approval of military assistance to Ukraine to tough border security demands that Democrats would never accept, allowing Republicans to block the money for Kyiv that many of them oppose while simultaneously enabling them to pound Democrats for refusing to halt a surge of migrants at the border. It was to be a win-win headed into November’s elections.

But Democrats tripped them up by offering substantial — almost unheard-of — concessions on immigration policy without insisting on much in return. Now it is Republicans who are rapidly abandoning a compromise that gave them much of what they wanted, leaving aid to Ukraine in deep jeopardy, border policy in turmoil and Congress again flailing as multiple crises at home and abroad go without attention because of a legislative stalemate.

  • @[email protected]
    12•9 months ago

    That’s how things get done in Congress honestly. If Republicans say, “we promise if you provide border funding, we’ll support legislation to provide Israel and Ukraine funding” you have to trust that after you pass the law, they won’t back off of their deal.

    I’d be curious how other countries handle this situation

    • Hyperreality
      9•9 months ago

      In non-first past the post systems you often end up with coalition governments.

      The result is that you can screw the other guy over, but you’re likely to be in government with them sooner rather than later, at which point they’ll screw you right back.

      It breeds compromise, even if it happens after spending a full year negotiating before agreeing to enter a coalition government and exactly and to ten decimal places which laws you that government will be enacting during the coming parliament.

    • @[email protected]OP
      4•9 months ago

      Except that this stuff was packaged together, so they couldn’t pick one and refuse the other. So they refused the whole package.

      • @Evilcoleslaw
        8•9 months ago

        So? If they weren’t both packaged together they were both going to be voted down. Republicans don’t want the Ukraine funding and Republicans have decided for now that it’s better politically to have a mess at the border to blame on Biden. They don’t want either proposal to pass so splitting them does nothing.