Report: 10 Senators Saved Omnibus by Thwarting Title 42 Amendment

A Title 42 amendment by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, for the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill, which passed through the Senate on Thursday, was reportedly derailed by 10 senators, including one Republican.

According to Breitbart News, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., worked with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz; and Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont.; on a separate amendment concerning Title 42, essentially created to "circumvent" Lee's proposal, which if approved, might have held up the Senate passage of the omnibus bill.

Shortly after that, seven other Democrats — Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.; Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.; Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.; Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.; Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. — and Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.; reportedly crossed over to the Schumer-Sinema proposal to thwart Lee's Title 42 amendment.

At the floor vote, Lee's Title 42 amendment collected only 47 of 97 votes. A simple majority was needed to pass the measure.

The Sinema/Tester amendment also failed, according to Breitbart, but ultimately served its purpose in scuttling the Lee amendment.

Breitbart also writes the Schumer-Sinema amendment proposal will also provide the 10 senators "political cover" for their own Senate elections in 2024.

According to reports, Department of Homeland Security funding for 2023 would have been directly tied to the Biden administration not rescinding Title 42 — a Trump-era health order that prevented asylum-seekers from crossing the southern border, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, if Lee's amendment had been implemented into the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill.

• Schumer Tells Senate Agreement Near on $1.7T Omnibus Bill
• Brandon Judd to Newsmax: 'Lies' Won't Justify Title 42 Expiration