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WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) appeared on the PBS News Hour with Amna Nawaz to discuss the Senate's proposal for $118.28 billion in funding for Ukraine, Israel, and U.S. border security. We discussed the additional national security package.
Earlier today, Senator Cramer issued a public statement regarding the Senate Border Security Bill, emphasizing the need for all bills to go through a formal committee review process.
About the negotiation process:
“…this process has been bad from the beginning. Too secretive, too closed, and not transparent throughout the committee process as it should be. James Lankford has done an admirable job, more than he did in the negotiations. no one can do that […] If “dead on arrival” is the standard [in Congress], there is little point in spending more political capital when there are other priorities in this bill that require funding, such as aid to Israel and aid to Ukraine. Sure, it's a combination of politics, moving parts, and changing the story, but the biggest problem is the process, and that's what bothers me. Four months of good faith but mostly secret negotiations have resulted in a final document that Chuck Schumer hopes to deliver soon. […] before anyone has had a chance to read the text. ”
On navigating a divided government:
“In a world where government is divided, incremental change in the right direction is better than no change in the right direction. , I think it's about being very generous to lawyers for unlimited amounts of money, sanctuary cities, etc. that could be at issue. Here, we're focusing on the pull factor that attracts people to take this risk in the first place. give. […] Political will does not exist at this time. ”
On Donald Trump's influence on border legislation:
“It's not unrelated, as opposed to the previous president who proved he could provide border security, and now his opponent, the current president, who did nothing but let 10 million people into the country illegally.” is” .This is very clear when you look at the two men running for president.who does a better job?What I'm saying is that as senators, we have to make our own decisions based on the facts on the ground.? I think the National Border Patrol Council makes some very good points and has been very involved in the task force. I was working on this. ”
Regarding Ukraine funding provisions in the supplementary bill:
“Remember, we put the border part in this supplement because people who didn’t want to support Ukraine insisted on it. […] I am very happy that we had the opportunity to protect not only the borders of Ukraine, but also the borders of our country. Both, together and separately, are really important and I will continue to focus on that.I think so [Biden] The administration waited too long and moved too slowly to help Ukraine. Otherwise they would have won this war by now. It remains in our nation's best interest to provide them with the critical assistance they need. I would like to strip them of some of their humanitarian aid and direct government support and instead focus on helping them win the war. That is America's best interest. ”
