US senators are hoping to salvage a package of military aid for Ukraine and Israel, in a possible vote that could happen later
Republicans in the Senate earlier blocked sweeping legislation that would bring in tougher border restrictions and grant new aid to Ukraine and Israel
The now-dead $118bn package (£93.5bn) took months to negotiate and included about $20bn of funding for the US-Mexico border, $60bn to support Ukraine, and another $14bn for Israel
But Republicans voted it down after pressure from Donald Trump, with the bill failing by 50 votes to 49
A new version of the bill has been drawn up with the foreign aid but without the immigration plans, and senators may vote on it shortly
The 370-page border security bill that has been rejected would have allowed the US to shut down the border when crossings hit a certain threshold
It was negotiated by both sides and saw military aid tied to immigration, as Republicans said they would only support more aid for Ukraine if the border crisis was fixed
Votes are still coming in - slowly, as you can probably tell by now.
It's a very subdued scene, with just a few senators on the floor at any given time as others trickle in to cast their votes.
So far, 31 senators have voted "yes" to advance the bill, and 11 have voted "no".
To advance, the motion will need another 29 votes.
So far, 26 people have voted to advance the bill.
Six have voted no.
The bill needs 60 votes to advance.
The Senate is voting on the $118bn border security and foreign aid bill.
As a reminder, the bill needs 60 votes to advance.
Stay with us for more updates.
Don't come to Arizona: Senator to those politicising border issue
Senator Kyrsten Sinema, from Arizona, has just been speaking in the Senate in the debate on this bill – and says the border crisis is “devastating my state”.
Just last week, she says, officers seized 2.1 million fentanyl pills at a port of entry, and elsewhere that same week border patrol agents recovered enough fentanyl to kill 340,000 Americans.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that's 50 times stronger than heroin.
Because it's cheap and easy to produce and transport, Mexican drug cartels have begun to cut it into recreational drugs like cocaine. The epidemic has hit the US, which is the world's biggest market for illegal drugs, especially hard.
Sinema is one of the architects of this bill, and has been working with colleagues Chris Murphy and James Lankford for months on it.
Sam Cabral
Reporting from Capitol Hill
James Lankford, the lead Republican negotiator on this bill, just made a final pitch for the bill he has worked on for months.
"We knew from the beginning, it wasn't going to be perfect, but the status quo is untenable," he says.
"If we're going to solve something, we HAVE to do it together."
Though mild-mannered in nature, Lankford's exasperation was clear.
He lamented that colleagues "literally within minutes [of the bill's release] said 'I don't agree'".
Social media amplified lies about the bill, he said with a giant sigh. He calls these claims "completely absurd".
Lankford goes on to say a "popular commentator" he spoke to months ago threatened to do "whatever I can to destroy you" if he tried to pass border reforms in an election year.
Holding up the pen he received after being sworn in to the Senate in 2015, Lankford says "people sent me here to get stuff done and solve problems".
His staff skipped Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's celebrations to write the legislation, he added.
"Let's make progress," he urged. It is hard not to feel bad for him here.
Image source, US SenateWhile we wait for the vote, senators have been speaking in the chamber.
We just heard from Democrat Senator Patty Murray, who said Republicans who vote against the bill will be telling the American people they "don't want to solve the crisis on the border", they want to campaign on it.
"You don't let a fire burn because Donald Trump wants to campaign on ashes," she says, referring to the Republican presidential front-runner's earlier comments.
Trump had said only a "radical left Democrat" would vote for the bill.
And a reminder that you can watch proceedings live by clicking the play button at the top of this page.
Image source, EPAWhite House national security adviser Sullivan gave a news conference alongside Nato head Jens Stoltenberg
The US "can and will" give more military aid to Ukraine, national security adviser Jake Sullivan vowed earlier today - saying the White House is focused on getting a Ukraine package through Congress.
Speaking at a news conference in Brussels, Sullivan admitted there had been a "lot of to-ing and fro-ing" in Congress - and added "in the last 24 hours you've seen a significant number of Republicans come out and say that no matter what else happens, we need to move forward a package of support for Ukraine".
"We believe we still can and will deliver aid for Ukraine," he told reporters at the news conference.
US military aid to Ukraine has been on hold since December because Congress hasn't been able to agree to send more.
Republicans had said they would only support more aid for Ukraine if they get concessions on border security - hence why we've got this legislation today.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
US Reporter
We've just had another sign that there's no real confidence in this border and foreign aid bill getting through the Senate.
The Senate Appropriations Committee has recently unveiled the text of a new foreign aid package - one with no mention of border security.
In total, the bill includes $60bn for Ukraine, $14.1bn in security assistance for Israel and $9.15bn for humanitarian purposes.
Another $2.44bn has been slated to support US operations in the Red Sea, and $4.83bn has been allocated to support US allies in the Pacific "and deter aggression by the Chinese government".
"If our Republican colleagues won’t even debate bipartisan border policy, then we must proceed with the rest of the supplemental package and get aid to our allies and to innocent civilians in urgent need," Washington Senator Patty Murray, the chair of the Appropriations Committee, said in a statement.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reportedly plans to force a vote on the bill later today, after the Senate votes on the original foreign aid bill that included border security provisions.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
US Reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesIt's not just Republicans who are opposed to this bill.
Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has vowed to vote no, citing what he termed as Israel's "horrific war" in Gaza.
The bill includes $10bn (£7.92bn) in US military aid for Israel, in addition to the funds it has earmarked for border security and Ukraine.
In a statement posted online, Sanders said that while "Israel has a right to defend itself", it does not "have the right to go to war against the entire Palestinian people".
Sanders said that additional aid to Israel amid the conflict is "unconscionable".
"That is why I will be voting NO," the statement adds.
Sam Cabral
Reporting from Capitol Hill
The Senate is now set to vote at 14:00e (19:00g) on a long-anticipated bill, but nobody seems thrilled up here on Capitol Hill.
The new aid to Ukraine and Israel offered in this $118bn (£93bn) bill was teed up by President Joe Biden in a primetime speech back in October, while Republicans have been clamouring for border security provisions for even longer.
Bipartisan negotiations over this massive bill have taken four months.
And yet, on the verge of the vote, everybody is certain it will fail.
Moderates on either side are expected to back the bill, but several Republicans - taking their cue from former President Donald Trump and their House colleagues - and progressive Democrats have balked at the border reforms. Jointly, their opposition may be enough to sink the bill.
So likely is this bill to fail that the text of a backup bill - which comprises new foreign aid, but no border money - has just been released.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
US reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesTrump - who is campaigning on immigration - has attacked the border security bill
President Joe Biden conceded that "all indications are this bill won't even move forward", despite the support of the Border Patrol Union.
"Why?" he asked. "A simple reason: Donald Trump. Because Donald Trump thinks it's bad for him politically."
Biden said the former president had spent the past 24 hours lobbying Republicans in the House and Senate in an effort to torpedo the proposal.
He said Trump had tried to intimidate Republican lawmakers, "and it looks like they're caving".
The Trump campaign blasted the Biden speech, calling it "an embarrassment to our nation and a slap in the face to the American people".
On Monday morning after the details of the deal emerged, Trump took to his Truth Social platform and said "only a fool, or a radical left Democrat" would vote for the "horrendous" bill.
But some Democrats to the left of the party on immigration have also expressed displeasure with the bill.
Pramila Jayapal, a Washington congresswoman, said its provisions are "not serious reform and it once again throws immigrants under the political bus".
Image source, .Immigration has emerged as the top issue driving Republicans to the polls in support of Donald Trump, the front-runner to face Joe Biden in the November general election.
Since Biden took office in January 2021, more than 6.3 million migrants have been detained crossing into the US illegally between points of entry, according to statistics from the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS.
The bill needs at least 60 votes to advance through the 100-member Senate and it looks like an uphill battle to get to that point.
"The 'border deal' is an easy NO. It reads like a parody of an actual border security bill," said Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican senator.
Widespread opposition to the deal among House Republicans means that the immigration bill is unlikely ever to become law.
Many have demanded stricter asylum restrictions, limiting programmes allowing migrants to live and work in the US while they wait for hearings.
House Republican leaders claimed that the bill cannot pass their chamber because it "fails in every policy area needed to secure our border and would actually incentivise more illegal immigration".
Included in the huge $118bn funding deal is $60bn to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia and $14bn in security assistance for Israel.
The military aid became part of a US-Mexico border deal because Republicans said they would not agree to more money being sent to Ukraine until action was taken to fix the migrant crisis.
The bill would introduce much more severe measures to try to stem border crossings, which are at record levels.
The 370-page agreement, external will, in the words of Republican negotiator James Lankford, move from the current system of "catch and release" to one where migrants are detained and deported.
Among the most significant changes in the deal is a new federal authority that mandates a complete shutdown of the border when migrant crossings reach a one-week average threshold of 5,000 a day or exceed 8,500 in a single day.
In practice, this would mean that migrants who arrive in the US illegally would no longer be allowed to request asylum and would be deported shortly thereafter.
Brandon Livesay
Live reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesA record high number of migrants - more than 6.3 million migrants - have crossed into the US illegally since 2021
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the US Senate as lawmakers prepare to vote on a contentious border bill.
It’s not just about the US-Mexico border. It also includes billions of dollars of support for Ukraine and Israel.
But it faces an uphill battle to make through the Senate today, with Republicans expected to torpedo it after Donald Trump said "only a fool, or a radical left Democrat" would vote for the bill.
The bill, which senators of both parties have spent months negotiating, was unveiled on Sunday night.
Faced with mounting public anger over the migrant inflows, President Joe Biden vowed in January to "shut down the border right now and fix it quickly" if Congress sent a bill to his desk.
But Republicans have rejected the measure, alleging its border reforms did not go far enough.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest from Capitol Hill.