US Sen. Lankord faces backlash from Republican Party over potential border deal

The U.S. Senate is "very, very close" to a border control deal this week, Sen. James Lankford said Monday.

Lankford, the Oklahoma Republican, has for months led negotiations with his Democratic Senate colleagues in the majority to develop a bipartisan border policy amid a record number of migrant encounters at the southern border. With an agreement closer than ever, former president Donald Trump publicly has railed against the effort by saying this border deal would be worse than having no deal at all.

Lankford, a Republican who is Oklahoma's senior senator, has been working with Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, and Arizona independent Kyrsten Sinema to craft legislation intended to improve the situation on the U.S.-Mexico border.