WEBVTT 00:01.133 --> 00:02.666 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% AMNA NAWAZ: Welcome to the "NewsHour." 00:02.666 --> 00:05.700 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% We start with two intertwined and looming issues. High-stakes 00:05.700 --> 00:10.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% negotiations over a possible deal to aid Ukraine and reform the U.S. immigration 00:12.366 --> 00:14.833 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% system are at risk of collapsing under their own political weight. 00:14.833 --> 00:17.333 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins spent the day 00:17.333 --> 00:20.833 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% speaking with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. She's here now to explain. 00:20.833 --> 00:21.833 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Lisa, good to see you. 00:21.833 --> 00:23.766 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% LISA DESJARDINS: Good to see you. 00:23.766 --> 00:25.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% AMNA NAWAZ: So bring us up to speed. Where do things stand on Capitol Hill? 00:25.733 --> 00:29.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% LISA DESJARDINS: After these weeks of very urgent and serious talks between lawmakers 00:29.200 --> 00:34.166 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% on Capitol Hill and maybe some less serious sound bites from others not involved in negotiations, 00:34.166 --> 00:39.133 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% we are now on the edge of a complete failure by our lawmakers to either address the border 00:41.500 --> 00:44.300 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% security right now or to figure out what they want to do to help or not help our allies in Ukraine. 00:46.066 --> 00:48.233 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% As you know, we were reporting those two issues have been linked since 00:48.233 --> 00:52.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% President Biden linked them in one bill and Republicans asked for policy changes 00:52.333 --> 00:55.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% at the border before they would support Ukraine funding. So let's look at where 00:55.766 --> 00:59.066 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% we are in this moment about that idea of linking these two bills. 00:59.066 --> 01:01.800 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Right now, negotiators that have been working on trying to get that 01:01.800 --> 01:06.533 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% deal together actually have agreed on policy, I'm told by familiar sources, 01:06.533 --> 01:09.666 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% but they haven't yet figured out the dollars, how much money goes 01:09.666 --> 01:13.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% where. That's obviously a big problem, but the policy chunk is a huge breakthrough. 01:13.600 --> 01:18.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% However, conservatives have increasingly become skeptical on that policy. At the same time, 01:20.366 --> 01:23.133 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Leader Mitch McConnell has made it clear today that he ideally would like 01:23.133 --> 01:28.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% a combined deal. However, he has a different problem. President -- former President Trump 01:29.900 --> 01:32.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% opposes the combined deal, especially opposes the border security portion. 01:32.300 --> 01:37.100 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% And since New Hampshire, McConnell and other Republicans have started referring to Trump 01:37.100 --> 01:42.100 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% as a potential nominee of their party, and they have said he wants to run on the border issue. 01:42.100 --> 01:46.466 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% So what we have here is a political problem. Mitch McConnell said that 01:46.466 --> 01:50.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% behind closed doors to his Republicans last night, that no matter what they want, 01:50.100 --> 01:55.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% the politics mean that this kind of deal may not be able to go forward for Republicans. 01:56.866 --> 01:58.833 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Meanwhile, what is going forward are those negotiations. The three senators 01:58.833 --> 02:01.700 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% that have been behind closed doors for weeks now, there they are right there, 02:01.700 --> 02:06.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% one Democrat, an independent and a Republican. They say they will work throughout the weekend 02:06.333 --> 02:11.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% with Democratic Leader Schumer in the Senate, saying he expects them to come up with a deal. 02:11.000 --> 02:16.000 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% Senator Sinema of Arizona said she does expect text on the border policy next week. We will see. 02:18.400 --> 02:20.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% AMNA NAWAZ: Take us back to the presidential politics you mentioned there. 02:20.866 --> 02:25.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% How big a factor is that in blocking any potential action for Ukraine or border funding? 02:25.633 --> 02:27.533 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% LISA DESJARDINS: Well, I will start by saying this deal always 02:27.533 --> 02:29.733 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% has been precarious, always has been difficult. 02:29.733 --> 02:33.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It wasn't clear Democrats were going to be all the way on board. But in this moment, 02:33.533 --> 02:38.533 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% it is presidential politics absolutely that is blocking it and that has really kind of incited 02:40.566 --> 02:43.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% more fear, I think, in Senate Republicans, who might have been on the fence over whether to 02:43.333 --> 02:47.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% try and help some partial solution at the border, maybe not get all what they want, 02:47.966 --> 02:52.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% versus backing off altogether and doing kind of politically more expedient thing. 02:52.900 --> 02:56.833 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% One of the reasons, of course, former President Trump. I want to show one of the things that he 02:56.833 --> 03:01.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% wrote on social media just in the last day about this deal. He wrote: "I do not think 03:01.733 --> 03:06.733 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% we should do a border deal at all unless we get everything needed to shut down the invasion." 03:08.600 --> 03:10.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Now, of course, Amna, this is not an invasion at the border. These are groups 03:10.900 --> 03:15.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% of asylum seekers largely, more than half of them family members. But you can see in 03:15.600 --> 03:19.333 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% that tone election year rhetoric that former President Trump will be using. 03:19.333 --> 03:23.400 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Now, to respond to this, to make it even more clear, the last person before Trump 03:23.400 --> 03:28.133 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% to be the Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, had something to say today. 03:28.133 --> 03:31.800 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UT): The fact that he would communicate to Republican 03:31.800 --> 03:35.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% senators and congresspeople that he doesn't want us to solve the border 03:35.433 --> 03:40.433 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% problem because he wants to blame Biden for it is really appalling. 03:42.500 --> 03:44.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% LISA DESJARDINS: As we speak, I'm told by my sources in the Trump campaign that he is now 03:44.466 --> 03:47.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% responding to Romney directly. It's kind of a blast at Romney, as you would expect. 03:47.433 --> 03:50.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% All of this, also another problem, no one was clear that the House was ever going 03:50.666 --> 03:55.000 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% to pass this deal. But senators wanted to do something. They still may try. 03:55.000 --> 03:57.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% AMNA NAWAZ: What about this critical aid funding. We keep calling it critical aid 03:57.466 --> 03:59.700 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% funding. We know they have been seeking it since last fall. When 03:59.700 --> 04:03.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% does the inaction to pass funding here start to create more problems there? 04:03.533 --> 04:06.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% LISA DESJARDINS: I want to credit Nick Schifrin for a lot of this reporting as well. 04:06.433 --> 04:10.100 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Right now, the U.S. is paying not only for some help, critical weaponry, but 04:10.100 --> 04:15.100 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% also the Ukraine government to keep financially viable. Four billion dollars is needed for them 04:17.333 --> 04:21.700 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% routinely to keep the payroll going. The U.S. is paying for teachers, those kinds of things. And, 04:21.700 --> 04:25.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% by the way, if there's not air defense for Ukraine, that will be a game-changer 04:25.900 --> 04:30.900 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% soon. They will probably not be able to make it as they are coming up quickly. 04:32.533 --> 04:33.900 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% AMNA NAWAZ: That's our congressional correspondent, Lisa Desjardins, 04:33.900 --> 04:36.033 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% covering these critical negotiations. 04:36.033 --> 04:36.966 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% Lisa, thank you. 04:36.966 --> 04:37.600 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% LISA DESJARDINS: You're welcome.