Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday expressed optimism over a bipartisan bill that seeks to impose stricter immigration and asylum laws, saying he believes it will pass the chamber despite opposition from hard-right Republicans.
“I’m confident — hopeful is the right word,” Schumer said during an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” when asked about the bill’s chances of passing in the Senate. “This is hard. And our Republican senators — we need a bunch of them — are under a lot of pressure from rightwing Trump part of the party.”
Senators released the text of the bipartisan bill Sunday night after months of negotiations. The $118 billion bill comes amid record-high crossing at the southern border and also includes foreign aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. Republicans have said they would only support aid to those countries on the condition that it is paired with new policies restricting U.S. immigration.
The bipartisan package faces opposition from House Republican leadership and other conservatives, including several members of the House Freedom Caucus. Shortly after senators released the text of the bill, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a Sunday night post to X that “it will be dead on arrival” if it reaches the House.
Schumer said the bill is a “compromise,” adding that is “the only way you get important things done” in the Senate. He blamed pressure from former President Trump and his allies for the hard-right Republicans’ opposition to the legislation.
“Will the senators drown out the political noise from Trump and his minions and do the right thing for America?” he asked. “It’s a crucial question. History will is looking down on every one of us right now.”