Republican Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas at a hearing on Capitol Hill in April 2023.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
Senators are trying to hash out a border security deal that’s acceptable to both parties.But one House Republican says he’s unlikely to support it — if it helps Biden politically.”I’m not willing to do too damn much right now to help a Democrat,” said Rep. Troy Nehls.
As senators continue to work on a compromise deal to address border security and immigration, at least one Republican is suggesting politics is a key motivator for him.
“Let me tell you, I’m not willing to do too damn much right now to help a Democrat and to help Joe Biden’s approval rating,” Republican Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas told CNN this week. “I will not help the Democrats try to improve this man’s dismal approval ratings. I’m not going to do it. Why would I?”
Nehls indicated he would only accept a proposal similar to HR 2, a hardline immigration bill that got zero Democratic votes when it passed the House earlier this year.
“[Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer has had HR 2 on his desk since July,” said Nehls. “And he did nothing with it.”
Border security and immigration have increasingly emerged as a weak spot for President Biden, with just 38% approving of his handling of immigration in one recent poll.
But it’s not the first time Nehls has seemingly said the quiet part out loud.
The Texas Republican and ally of former President Donald Trump told USA Today in December that he wants to give Trump “a little bit of ammo to fire back” by impeaching Joe Biden.
Nehl’s comments came as over 60 House Republicans traveled to the US-Mexico border on Wednesday, and many are warning that they are unlikely to accept a compromise on border security hashed out by the Senate.
HR 2 — known officially as the “Secure the Border Act of 2023” — would entail a broader rewrite of the country’s immigration laws, including curtailing the ability of migrants to seek asylum in the US and forcing the continued construction of a wall on the border.
Meanwhile, senators have been working behind closed doors on a deal that’s unlikely to go as far as HR 2, but may be satisfactory to enough Republicans and Democrats to pass the Senate.
Republicans have insisted that border security be addressed before any further aid can be provided to Ukraine and Israel.
