The White House-supported border bill is losing Democratic backing as Schumer calls for a fresh vote.
Before Booker made his announcement, the bill, due for a Senate vote on Thursday, wasn't expected to pass because of Republican resistance and internal divisions among Democrats. The Democrats want to use the vote to put pressure on Republicans and demonstrate their inaction on the border, an important issue during an election year.
However, Booker's statement has now revealed the discord within the Democratic Party over this heated topic. If more Democrats defect, it could make the messaging campaign by the party more difficult or even fail.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the New Jersey Democrat said, "In February, I voted to advance the bipartisan immigration deal as a way of emphasizing my commitment to ongoing discussions on resolving border issues, despite my serious concerns about the substance of the underlying legislation." He went on to say, "I will not vote for the bill coming to the Senate this week because it includes provisions that contradict our shared values.”
The bill from February, part of a larger bipartisan plan involving aid to US allies, failed during a procedural vote with a 49-50 split. Sixty votes were required to break the GOP filibuster and progress the legislation.
The "no" votes came from Democratic Senators Bob Menendez and Alex Padilla from California, Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey from Massachusetts. Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, who aligns with the Democrats, also opposed the proposal. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer voted against it too, a move that would enable him to perform a technical maneuver later to reintroduce the bill.
Booker highlighted in his statement that he supported the original bill because it also included "essential foreign and humanitarian aid." This provision doesn't exist in the current bill since Congress took a separate approach to pass an aid package without border issues.
On the same day, the Biden administration suffered another setback when the Senate approved a measure to reverse energy efficiency standards for residential gas furnaces. These standards are part of the White House's strategy to fight climate change. Republicans argued that the rules would be overly burdensome and costly for consumers.
The Energy Department rule, enacted in February, demanded that furnace manufacturers build units converting 95% of their fuel to heat. Democrats, such as Markey, defended the rule as a crucial update that would facilitate innovation and support the environment.
Sen. Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican who presented the measure, claimed it would affect most American households, as they would have to spend thousands on new furnaces.
Senators Joe Manchin (Democrat) and Kyrsten Sinema (Independent) voted with Republicans, but with Biden set to veto it, there's little chance it will receive the necessary two-thirds majority in both chambers to override the veto.
CNN's Manu Raju, Ted Barrett, and Kristin Wilson contributed to this story.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
