Mitt Romney Says U.S. Politics Now ‘Impossible’

Sen. Mitt Romney issued a stark warning about the “impossible” nature of politics after a bipartisan bill to secure the U.S.-Mexico border struggled to secure enough support from Republicans this week.

A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers unveiled a $118 billion Senate bill over the weekend that would address some concerns at the southern border amid an uptick in migrant arrivals, as well as aid to U.S. allies abroad.

If passed, the legislation would have increased the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detention capacity from 34,000 to 50,000 and allocated $20 billion to immigration enforcement. It also included $14 billion in aid to Israel, $60 billion for Ukraine, $4.83 billion to Indo-Pacific nations and $10 billion in humanitarian funding for Ukraine, Gaza and the West Bank.

However, the bill faces grim odds of passing the Senate after a slew of conservatives vowed to oppose it, arguing it does not go far enough to include measures to secure the border. The bill would need 60 votes to pass the Senate, meaning conservatives’ rejection of it has raised questions about whether it has enough support.

Romney, a Utah Republican, told news publication Semafor he was “deeply disappointed” Republicans walked away from the deal that was already negotiated, issuing a warning about how political polarization has negatively impacted the lawmaking process.

“Politics used to be the art of the possible. Now it’s the art of the impossible. We’ve gone from the sublime to the ridiculous,” he said.

A spokesperson for Romney declined further comment when reached by Newsweek.

Jordan Tama, a foreign policy and global security professor at American University, told Newsweek that there should “certainly be some room” for both Democrats and Republicans to find common ground to pass the bill.

“The bipartisan package put together in the Senate includes elements that should enable everyone across the political spectrum to find something they like in it,” Tama said.

“If you’re a Democrat, you probably like the aid for Ukraine and the pairing of aid for Israel with humanitarian aid for Gaza. If you’re a Republican, you should like the tough border security provisions, which are exactly the kind of measures that many Republicans have been calling for to address the border crisis.”

He noted that Donald Trump‘s “tremendous influence” over the GOP has convinced some Republicans to oppose the bill.

Still, he said, polarization has been on the rise for decades before Trump became president. Geographical trends, the rise of social media platforms that “amplify extreme views,” gerrymandering and weak regulations of campaign contributions have also contributed to this, he said.

Tama suggested that non-partisan primaries that incentivize politicians to cater to centrist voters and stronger campaign finance regulations could make Congress more bipartisan and effective.

“Congress can also adopt internal reforms that promote bipartisanship. In the House, the majority party currently controls the agenda with near absolute power. Giving the minority a greater say in the House agenda would force the majority to pay more attention to what the minority wants,” Tama said.

Despite opposition from conservatives, Senate Democrats have signaled a vote may be held on the legislation later Wednesday. The bill is unlikely to pass the GOP-led House, where Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican described it as “dead on arrival.”

Conservatives have faced scrutiny from both Democrats and other Republicans for their opposition to the bill. Critics have raised concerns that opposition may be to appease Trump, who has urged Republicans to not accept anything less than a “perfect” bill on immigration.

Some political analysts have speculated Trump may be trying to deny President Joe Biden a political win by pressuring Republicans to vote against the bill.

Republicans have previously emphasized border security as a key issue facing the U.S. as cities across the country struggle to grapple with an increase in asylum seekers arriving to the southern border.

There were more than 2.4 million encounters at the border during the 2023 fiscal year, up from roughly 1.7 million in 2021, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.