House Republican says he won't accept a border deal because it may help Biden politically

• Senators are trying to hash out a border security deal that's acceptable to both parties.
• But one House Republican says he's unlikely to support it if it helps President Joe Biden politically.

As senators work on a compromise deal to address border security and immigration, at least one Republican is suggesting politics is a key motivator for him.

"Let me tell you, I'm not willing to do too damn much right now to help a Democrat and to help Joe Biden's approval rating," Republican Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas told CNN this week. "I will not help the Democrats try to improve this man's dismal approval ratings. I'm not going to do it. Why would I?"

Nehls indicated he'd accept only a proposal similar to HR 2, a hardline immigration bill that got zero Democratic votes when it passed the House last year.

"Chuck Schumer has had HR 2 on his desk since July," Nehls said, referring to the Senate majority leader. "And he did nothing with it."

Border security and immigration have emerged as a weak spot for Biden, with just 38% of respondents in one recent poll saying they approved of his handling of immigration.

But it's not the first time Nehls has seemed to say the quiet part out loud.

The Texas Republican and ally of former President Donald Trump told USA Today in December that he wanted to give Trump "a little bit of ammo to fire back" by impeaching Biden.

Over 60 House Republicans traveled to the US-Mexico border on Wednesday, and many are saying they're unlikely to accept a compromise on border security hashed out by the Senate.

HR 2, known as the Secure the Border Act of 2023, would entail a broader rewrite of the country's immigration laws, including curtailing migrants' ability to seek asylum in the US and forcing the continued construction of a wall on the border.

Meanwhile, senators have been working behind closed doors on a deal that's unlikely to go as far as HR 2 but may satisfy enough Republicans and Democrats to pass the Senate.

Republicans have insisted that border security be addressed before any further aid can be provided to Ukraine and Israel.