Before a crucial week for emergency relief package negotiations, Congress appears no closer to a compromise

Before lawmakers leave town for the holidays, Congress is no closer to a compromise on tying immigration and border policy reforms to the emergency aid package for Ukraine and Israel.

Senior immigration and border negotiators Republican Sen. James Lankford and Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy indicated in separate interviews on Sunday that talks are underway.

We are still in the room trying to deal with Republican demands,” Murphy said on NBC's “Meet the Press.” We will not enact Donald Trump's immigration plans. It would be bad for the country. But we must act to overcome this border crisis.”

Murphy called this juncture in negotiations “one of the most dangerous moments” in American history and warned of the national security risks of no deal.

“Vladimir Putin is delighting right now in Republicans’ insistence that we get a deal on immigration reform, and if we don’t, then they are going to allow Vladimir Putin to march into Ukraine and perhaps into Europe,” the Connecticut Democrat said on NBC.

The president told Congress last week that he's open to border security compromises with Republicans. Despite their willingness to negotiate, neither side appears to be making progress. Many Democrats have called the Senate-negotiated compromise a nonstarter because House Republicans want it to match HR 2, the House-passed border plan.

Lankford, who has stayed positive throughout the discussions, thinks the negotiators have come a long way, even though they are in a political “push and pull.”