Senator Kyrsten Sinema's (I-AZ) bipartisan border deal died a quick, yet painful, death as Republicans savaged it into not being debated. As a result, Sen. Sinema called them out in a recent Senate floor speech, accusing them of using the border crisis for political theater.
"Our broken border system is a national security crisis. Last September, when my Republican colleagues demanded, with a clear and unified voice, that border security must be included in Congress's national security package, I wholeheartedly agreed. Finally, it seemed we had the opportunity to solve the nightmare my state has lived for over 40 years," Sen. Sinema began, describing the difficulty of creating the bipartisan border deal.
"But less than 24 hours after we released the bill, my Republican colleagues changed their minds. Turns out, they want all talk and no action. It turns out, border security is not actually a risk to our national security. It is just a talking point for the election," Sinema continued, blasting how often Republicans talked about the border on the news and made visits to it.
Does Texas have a constitutional right to defy Supreme Court on protecting its border?
She then reiterated the apparent falsehoods spread about the bipartisan border deal, such as the 5,000 crossings per day limit, the President's authority to secure the border, and asylum processing. Moreover, she pointed out flaws in HR2, the Secure the Border Act passed by the House in May, which Sinema said does not include penalties for attempting to cross the border twice, expand detention beds, or tighten work permit restrictions.
"So if you want to spend the border crisis for your own political agendas, go right ahead," said Sinema, warning Republicans not to come to Arizona because "We are serious. We do not have time for your political games. We are not interested in you posing for the cameras in Arizona."
Finally, she pointed out that the bipartisan border deal was the top priority above all else for her, Senator James Lankford (R-OK), and Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT).
"And then suddenly, in the last 48 hours, the border no longer matters," Sinema added, concluding, "I usually end my speeches by calling on the better angels of our nature. When we work together, we can solve problems. We did that here. And you decided no. You decided you do not even want to debate it. You do not want to amend it. You do not want to tackle the problem. Partisanship won. The Senate has failed Arizona."
