- Sen. Chris Murphy said in an interview that “nobody” is leading Senate Republicans.
- “You can't make policy if no one is in charge,” Murphy told Politico.
- The Democratic negotiators' comments came after Republican lawmakers blocked the border security measure.
Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, the lead Democratic negotiator on the failed bipartisan border security package, recently spoke out against Republicans after the bill received only four Republican votes in the Senate. “There is no one in charge” of the meeting, he said.
Murphy has spent months working with Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma and independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona to craft an immigration bill that could pass in the narrow Senate. told Politico in a recent interview that he was working well with the Senate minority. Leader Mitch McConnell's staff.
But Murphy questioned the Kentucky product's leadership.
“I think they were honest actors,” Murphy said of McConnell's staff. “They helped us get this bill to the point where we could announce it on Sunday night.” “I think it's really concerning that Republican leaders can't cast more than four votes.”
“So there's no one in charge right now,” he continued. “It's not good for the country. It's not good for the Senate. It's not good for the Democratic Party. You can't make policy if you don't have someone in charge.”
Wednesday's Senate vote failed 49-50. The bill fell far short of the 60 votes needed to advance, and its future in the Republican-controlled House was uncertain. Six Democrats opposed the bill, while four Republicans (Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, and Sen. Lankford) voted against the bill. supported the bill.
McConnell voted against a bill that would overhaul the U.S. asylum system.
Murphy also noted former President Donald Trump's opposition to the bill and said Republicans need to “figure out” who is leading the party in the Senate.
“It's not up to me to lead them,” the second-term lawmaker told the magazine. “All they need is someone to lead them. If the Republican Party doesn't have a leader, they can't make policy.”
But despite the setback, Murphy told the magazine he remains a “desperate optimist” when it comes to the Senate.
“We have announced a major and comprehensive border reform package,” he said. “It didn't pass, but it's more progress than anyone has made in the last 10 years. … I still have faith in the Senate.”
