WASHINGTON — The Biden administration’s latest decision to lift border restrictions has laid bare a key disagreement in the Senate Democratic caucus, threatening to frustrate legislative efforts ahead of midterm elections where Republicans hope to flip control of Congress.
The administration plan to rescind a pandemic policy next month that restricted migration at the U.S.-Mexico border, known as Title 42, has divided Democrats as they cling to the slimmest of majorities, a 50-50 lineup where Vice President Kamala Harris provides a tie-breaking vote.
Most Democratic senators — including Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y. — had urged President Joe Biden to end the controversial public health directive that has been in place for more than two years. But several moderate Democrats in recent weeks have echoed their Republican colleagues on concerns about a potential migration influx when the asylum restrictions are lifted.
