Lankford steps into spotlight amid attempt to crack border code

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) is increasingly coming under the microscope as he attempts to sell Republican colleagues in both chambers on a potential border deal and pull off the arduous task of getting it across the finish line after months of talks.

A deal isn’t yet in hand, but Lankford, the lead GOP negotiator on the border package went on a series of sales calls of sort on Wednesday. He headlined a special Senate GOP conference meeting, after first addressing the Republican Study Committee’s (RSC) weekly luncheon to discuss the state of talks. The RSC represents the largest group of House conservatives. 

The uptick in communication comes only days before a potential bill could be released and the Senate GOP is putting their faith in the Oklahoma Republican. But they readily acknowledge he is attempting a herculean feat: strike a deal on one of the toughest political issues imaginable, that could win bipartisan support in the Senate and win enough backing within the chaotic House GOP conference to reach President Biden’s desk.

And he’s aiming to do it in an election year.

“He’s got the weight of the world — or at least the weight of the supplemental — on him,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said, referring to the push to pass a package including a border component with aid for Ukraine, Israel and humanitarian purposes. 

The border talks mark Lankford’s most public legislative effort during his almost decade-long tenure in the Senate, having worked largely behind the scenes on issues for years. That means he doesn’t have the battle scars some other members do from past fights, including on immigration, which members largely view as a positive. 

One thing that is helpful for Lankford is his past work across the Capitol, having served two terms in the House before winning his Senate seat in 2014.

An agreement could prove an even heavier lift in the lower chamber, where conservatives have made the border a signature issue and are insisting on a slew of policy reforms Democrats view as nonstarters. Some in the House GOP have floated shutting down the government if their demands aren’t met.

The RSC meeting on Wednesday marked Lankford’s first discussions with House Republicans on a wider scale. According to attendees, the senator reported that the negotiators continue to make progress daily and reiterated that he hopes to have a deal and legislative text by next week.

They also noted that Lankford asked them to keep an “open mind” on the eventual package and reminded them that the mentality in the Senate is entirely different, noting that an all or nothing approach does not work there.

“Over here, a lot of House members try to apply the House mentality [of], ‘Well, you just cram it through,’” Rep. Garrett Graves (R-La.) said upon leaving the meeting. “That doesn’t work over there. … He spent some time trying to condition or remind members that it’s an entirely different chemistry over there and you’ve got to put your expectations in check.” 

Across the Capitol building later in the day, Lankford walked Senate Republicans through the contours of the negotiations during the special conference meeting and discussed the major hangups in talks, with parole continuing to be the foremost sticking point. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) noted that members are hoping for a cap on the number of migrants who can be granted parole in a final bill.

Despite the ongoing slog, Senate Republicans are maintaining a high level of confidence in Lankford, whom they see as the right person for this type of negotiation. Lankford is widely well-liked on both sides of the aisle and has a level of knowledge on border issues that is almost unparalleled, especially as the ranking member on the Homeland Security subcommittee on border management, according to members. 

They also argue that Lankford work ethic and ability to dig into granular detail makes him tailor made to make this type of deal. 

“He’s kind of the perfect person,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said about Lankford. “He has all that knowledge, he has passion but also a very calm demeanor. He’s a gentleman. He’s patient. He’s not prone to emotion. He’s got strong convictions.

“To me, he’s called to do it,” Cramer added.

Lankford also has a good relationship with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), with whom he served in the House. The pair is leading the border negotiations alongside Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and top White House officials.

“I hope that the story of our cooperation on this will end with success. I hope it all doesn’t go down in flames because I’ve respected the effort he’s brought to the table,” Murphy said. 

Despite the confidence in Lankford, there remain some reservations among his colleagues. One Senate Republican said there are worries that Lankford is putting too much on his own shoulders and hasn’t put together a team to help him sell the eventual bill.

Lankford conceded that how he’s attempting to manage this situation is “hard,” but that he has little choice and that this is the “reality of doing final negotiations.” 

In addition, some lawmakers are worried former President Trump could try to derail any effort that could hand a political victory to President Biden ahead of November.

“This is an election year. Now all the sudden they want to do something about the border,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said about Democrats. “You know what’s going to happen. If we don’t do anything, they’re going to blame us.”

Over the past month, Lankford has attempted to maintain a delicate balance by keeping individual members informed and attempting to assuage their concerns, yet not telling them enough detail-wise that could jeopardize the bipartisan talks. 

“[Lankford’s] on the right side doing the right thing and trying to get the right things accomplished, but it’s almost a lose-lose for him because it doesn’t go far enough for some and it’s too far for others, and he’s trying to find the perfect balance,” said Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R), a fellow Oklahoman who has endorsed the ex-president. 

“I don’t know if that exists here,” he added.