To Mr. Schumer of New York, the majority leader, the ultimatum revived unpleasant memories of his participation in difficult immigration negotiations in 2013 that yielded a compromise, only to collapse despite strong bipartisan support in the Senate.
But saying no could doom the Ukraine aid and leave Democrats holding the bag.
He and his staff grappled with the problem for a week, then gathered for a conference call on Sunday, Nov. 5.
“We had an epiphany — sort of, lightning strikes,” Mr. Schumer recalled in an interview.
The final package notably did not contain new border security provisions, after Senate conservatives opted to kill that element of the legislation despite their initial insistence that it be included.
Persons:
Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, Schumer, “, ” Mr, it’s
Organizations:
Kentucky Republican, Democratic, Capitol
Locations:
Ukraine, New York, Israel, U.S