Congressional leaders meet at White House as optimism on an immigration deal grows

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and top congressional leaders are meeting at the White House on Wednesday as the Senate inches closer to a bipartisan immigration deal that would unlock critical military aid for Ukraine.

Optimism about inking an agreement reached an all-time high before the meeting as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters they expect it to come together soon.

“We are closer than we have ever been,” Schumer said. “For the first time, I think the chances of getting it done in the Senate are greater than not getting it done.”

The top Democratic negotiator in the talks concurred.

“I’ve been a part of enough negotiations to know when you’re coming close to finishing, and I feel like we’re there,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told reporters. “But didn’t I say something like that last three weeks ago?”

“Our goal is to give the executive branch more tools to better manage the border while living up to our values as a nation of immigrants. This is the most complicated area of American statute. And so it’s not surprising that it’s taking us some time to work out the final few issues and get those resolved into text,” he said.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he expects that the chamber could vote on the emerging immigration package — tied to Ukraine aid, Israel funding and assistance for Taiwan — next week.

“We have a number of important international responsibilities. And I think it’s time to go ahead with the supplemental, and I’m anticipating it’ll be before us next week,” he said.

That prompted a speedy rebuke from Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas:

But even if an immigration and foreign aid package can clear the Senate, it’s unclear what happens next. House members have not been involved in the talks between senators and administration officials.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had said the emerging Senate immigration deal would be a nonstarter in the lower chamber. On Wednesday, the speaker declared: “I don’t think now is the time for comprehensive immigration reform because we know how complicated that is. You can’t do that quickly.”

Instead, Johnson and House conservatives want the Senate to take up their Republican-only border bill, known as H.R. 2., though that legislation is going nowhere in the Senate and Biden has threatened to veto it.

One possibility is that the House and Senate could go to conference and have negotiators from each chamber try to hammer out a deal on immigration and border security.

Wednesday’s meeting in the Cabinet Room comes at a pivotal moment in Washington as political leaders juggle other important matters; Congress needs to pass a short-term stopgap measure by Friday night to avert a government shutdown and buy itself more time to pass its 12 appropriations bills.

In addition to Johnson, Schumer and McConnell, others attending the White House meeting include House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.; and the Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate committees that oversee appropriations, foreign affairs, military and intelligence matters.

White House chief of staff Jeff Zients, National Intelligence Director Avril Haines and budget director Shalanda Young are also in attendance, according to the White House.