Moderates pitch ‘pared down’ bipartisan spending deal for Ukraine, border security

Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Jared Golden (D-Maine) on Sunday urged their House colleagues to back their “pared down” proposal for Ukraine aid and border security, claiming the effort could serve as a “pressure point” to get spending passed.

A bipartisan Senate bill that included significant border security reforms and aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan has been stuck in the House for weeks, with top Democrats now pursuing a discharge petition to get a floor vote without the help of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

Golden said that effort isn’t likely to succeed, however, instead pitching his own version of the deal, emphasizing that aid for Ukraine is needed immediately.

“This is time-sensitive. It’s existential,” he said in a CBS “Face the Nation” interview with Margaret Brennan on Sunday. “What our bill does is it combines border security with this foreign aid — both existential — and we are forcing this bill to the floor to make sure that everybody acts.

“Because as President Zelensky said, they have weeks and not months to get reinforcements on the front lines,” he added, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The moderates’ proposal reduces the spending ask from about $60 billion to $49 billion, cutting out humanitarian aid for Israel and Ukraine and adding the strict “remain in Mexico” border policy, all points unpopular with most Democrats.

Golden said that the changes are necessary in order to get something passed, and that the pair are planning an extensive amendment process to make all sides happy.

“The Senate started with a bill. They had to boil it down to whatever could get 60 votes. The House needs to go through a very similar process,” Golden said. “We need to find a way to get a deal that gets us to 218 [votes]. I think a deal like that has to grow out of the middle and is unlikely to begin with a one-party solution.”

Despite the compromises, Fitzpatrick said their potential deal could likely get “super majority” support in the House if it reaches a floor vote and could pass the Senate.

“Ukraine is weeks away from giving up significant ground, and we cannot allow Russia to win,” Fitzpatrick said. “So what we are doing is adding an additional pressure point to get a bill to the floor that has bipartisan support in the House.” 

“My conversations with my Senate colleagues, any bill that comes out of the House with bipartisan support, in all likelihood, will emerge out of the Senate,” he added.