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--:-- Georgia Howe: Welcome to Morning Wire. I'm Georgia Howe, and I'm here with Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. It's Tuesday, February 6th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with us, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Today, we're talking about a long-awaited Senate immigration bill that includes more money for Ukraine than border security. We'll also be discussing New York's plan to give illegal immigrants new benefits, and the historic levels of violent crime in our nation's capital.
--:-- John Bickley: That's right, Georgia. And we're joined by Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips to break down the details of the immigration bill.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Thanks for having me, John.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, Cabot, after months of waiting, we're finally getting the first look at this highly anticipated bill. What can you tell us?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, so quick refresher to start. Back in October, President Biden first proposed a massive spending package that would offer billions in funding for Ukraine and Israel. That bill went to the Senate, where it stalled out as party leaders ironed out the details behind closed doors.
--:-- John Bickley: And what's in the bill now?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: A key sticking point was on immigration. As Republicans said, they would only consider supporting the measure if it included new funding for the border and reforms to immigration law. Well, this week, after months of debate, they finally released the text of that bill, which includes $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel, and $20 billion for the southern border.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what exactly are they funding when it comes to immigration?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: So it includes about $8 billion in emergency funding for ICE, along with billions more for the hiring of new asylum officers, border security agents, and fentanyl detection equipment. The bill would also force the DHS to shut down the border if and when the number of illegal entries hits an average of 5,000 a day over the course of a week or 8,500 in a single day.
--:-- John Bickley: And does this bill actually have any chance of passing?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, that is the big question right now. We start with the supporters the most prominent being Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer and President Biden. For his part, Biden claimed the bill constitutes the strongest immigration reform in decades and will make our country safer, treat people fairly and humanely while preserving legal immigration consistent with our values as a nation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: But there are a lot of detractors, right?
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, that is putting it lightly. Both hardline conservatives and far-left progressives mostly oppose the deal, but for very different reasons. Detractors on the left say it's inhumane and they return to what they call Trump-era policies, while Republican detractors, and there are very many of them, say it does not go far enough.
--:-- John Bickley: And what's the Heritage Foundation's take on this?
--:-- Laura Reese: [identified as a former DHS official and current Heritage Foundation expert] More money to Ukraine is not something a lot of Republicans want to vote for. And so Senator McConnell made the calculation that if he attached border security to Ukraine funding, then he could get more Republican yes votes. And a ditto for the Democrats regarding Israel funding.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So it's typical for Washington. They rarely pass single-issue bills because it's all about leverage.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And it's also worth noting there are those who say the bill is not necessary in the first place because President Biden already has the authority to secure the border on his own.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for reporting, Cabot.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, let's talk about New York's plan to give illegal immigrants new benefits. Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo is here to break it down.
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Thanks, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, Amanda, tell us about this new proposal. What would it change and who's eligible?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: So this new proposal would create an easier pathway for illegal immigrants to work for the state government. They must obtain legal work authorization from the federal government, but that's really one of the only requirements.
--:-- John Bickley: And what about the backlash against this proposal?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: Critics say this will only incentivize more migrants to come to New York State, worsening the crisis. And this also feeds into New Yorkers' complaints that migrants are being prioritized over legal residents.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And New York has a tight labor market, right?
--:-- Amanda Prestigiacomo: No, that's part of why people are so upset. There are an estimated 436,000 unemployed New Yorkers right now, hovering at around 4.5% unemployment, which is one of the highest rates in the nation.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for reporting, Amanda.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Now, let's talk about the historic levels of violent crime in our nation's capital. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to break it down.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Thanks, Georgia.
--:-- Georgia Howe: So, Tim, over the weekend, a former Trump administration official became one of the latest victims of D.C. crime. What happened?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Mike Gill served under Trump as the chief of staff of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. He was shot last Monday while waiting in his car to pick up his wife from work.
--:-- John Bickley: And how bad has the crime situation gotten in the city?
--:-- Tim Pierce: It's out of control. As National Review points out, violent crime in D.C. has hit levels that the city hasn't seen in decades.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And what's being done to address it?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Well, Washington is a city that is essentially run by Democrats at the local level, and its elected leaders so far have been inept at handling the crime wave.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for joining us, Tim.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.
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