(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-New Mexico, voted in favor of a bipartisan border security compromise that failed in the United States Senate on Wednesday.
The National Security Supplemental failed 49-50; four Republicans voted in favor of it, while all but five Democrats supported it. Fellow U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, also voted yes on the bill.
Lujan had privately expressed concerns about the bill and attempted to meet with top-level White House officials during its negotiation process, according to The Associated Press .
However, just because Lujan voted yes on the bill, that did not mean he was happy with the border security measures in the bill. Rather, he said in a press release that while something needs to be done about the border, he supported the military aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan in the $118 billion bill.
“Amid unrest around the world, there is an urgent need for a strong national security supplemental to aid our allies in Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific,” Lujan said. “The world is watching, and the U.S. must make it clear that our support for democracy remains steadfast.