Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) on Wednesday slammed Senate Republicans over the attempted border deal, saying it was “stupid” for them to try to work with Democrats.
Gingrich appeared on an episode of the “Cats & Cosby Show” hosted by John Catsimatidis and Rita Cosby, where he said he had just recorded a podcast with Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and “neither one of us can figure out how these guys talked themselves into doing something that is just stupid.”
Senate Republicans voted Wednesday against advancing a bipartisan border deal that was part of a larger emergency foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Indo-Pacific security.
The deal failed in a 50-49 vote, with most of the Senate GOP conference voting against it. The development marked a dramatic shift among Republicans in the chamber, who for months said any funding intended for Ukraine must be paired with reforms for the southern border.
“Anytime you try to get a bipartisan agreement with the Democrats, you are going to get ripped off because their interests are so radically different than ours,” Gingrich said.
“On the other hand, if you have an agreement with the American people, and the American people pressure the Democrats to be with you, then you can get a pretty good deal. But you’ll never get a good deal if you start by trying to work with the Democrats because it’s not in their interest to work with you,” the former Speaker continued.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) appointed Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) to negotiate a deal with the White House and Senate Democrats to raise the standard for migrants seeking asylum and give Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas emergency power to deport migrants.
McConnell and Lankford celebrated the deal while acknowledging that it didn’t get them everything they wanted. But GOP backlash came quickly after the negotiators revealed the details of the bill Sunday, ultimately leading to the failed vote Wednesday.