Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema gives update on Israel aid bill, border issues

PHOENIX — U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona is focused on advancing a military aid bill for Israel while continuing to meet with state and local leaders about dealings at the southern border.

Sinema joined KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Thursday to give an update on the status of the aid bill for Israel and the latest on issues at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Here’s what Sinema had to say:

Q: Can you tell us where we are with an aid bill for Israel and what’s happening?

A: The president put out a request for a funding package that would provide assistance to our greatest ally, Israel. As we know, they are currently under attack from a terrorist attack by Hamas and need our help and need our support at the same time. We also need to continue providing financial support to fight against [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s illegal aggression against Ukraine and of course other areas in the East.

Then, finally, a package that includes funding and hopefully some changes to policy to secure the southern border, which has not only been a crisis as we know in Arizona for decades, but has now has increased national security implications as we know that bad actors from other parts of the world — Russia, China — seeking to enter the U.S. through the Mexico border.

Q: Do you see trouble ahead in working with the House on getting bills that match and get to the president’s desk?

A: I have a long history of working with folks in both parties and in both chambers and so it won’t surprise anyone when I tell you that I’ve been in close communication with my colleagues in the House of Representatives — both Republicans and Democrats — to find a way forward and it is good that the House has begun considering providing aid to Israel as she defends herself against the terrorist attacks from Hamas.

However, it is incredibly important that we recognize the interconnected nature of these global threats.

Q: What’s going to happen in Arizona when this caravan of 5,000 migrants from Mexico and others get to our borders. Are we going to have the resources we need?

A: I attended a meeting with mayors today and while they certainly expressed their concern and feeling of being overwhelmed at an influx of migrants into their communities, I gently reminded them that in Arizona, we have been dealing with this unaided by the federal government for over 40 years and I described exactly what it’s like when 90 migrants from Mauritania are dropped off in a small town called Naco in which there’s no bus stop there are no shelters and there’s no way for those migrants who speak neither English nor Spanish to get safely to another part of the community.

So, you know, I feel a lot of compassion when mayors from these large cities and interior of the country tell me how they’re feeling overwhelmed because it provides me an opportunity to share the stories of how the mayors in southern Arizona have been feeling the same level of this but to a much greater degree and with much fewer resources for the last four decades. You can tell I get a little bit worked up about this. The good news is it is an opportunity to remind folks who have ignored the crisis in southern Arizona for decades to get a tiny glimpse of what our communities have been experiencing every day.

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