Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Thursday morning that he’s still trying to lock in an agreement with colleagues on amendments to the 1,455-page omnibus so the Senate can pass the bill later in the day and give the House a chance to act Friday.  

And it looks like his savior may be independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), who on Thursday introduced an amendment to increase border funding and resources for border communities and extend the Title 42 health policy that expedites the deportation of migrants seeking asylum in the United States.  

Sinema’s amendment could give political cover to centrist Democrats to vote against a proposal sponsored by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) to cut funding for Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’s office unless the Biden administration reinstates the Trump-era Title 42 policy. 

Democrats say Lee’s amendment would sink the omnibus in the House if it passes the Senate. 

Schumer said on the floor that senators and staff had worked until 2 a.m. to work out a deal on amendments but failed to reach one.  

He voiced optimism, however, that the stalemate could be resolved before lunchtime.  

“We are getting ever closer to reaching an agreement but we are still not there,” he informed colleagues shortly after the Senate opened for business at 8 a.m. Thursday. “I hope that we will lock in an agreement sometime later this morning.” 

The massive spending bill stalled Wednesday evening when Lee insisted on getting a vote on his amendment. Republicans argue Title 42 is holding back a deluge of migrants from Venezuela and other countries at the U.S.-Mexico border.   

The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked the Biden administration attempt to end Title 42.  

Democrats suffered a setback Thursday when the parliamentarian ruled that Lee’s amendment is germane to the year-end spending bill, which means it could be attached with only 51 votes or a simple majority.  

Republicans think that Sinema and centrist Democrats up for re-election, such as Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) will be under heavy pressure to vote for Lee’s amendment, which could give it the simple majority it needs to pass.   

But with Sinema’s side-by-side amendment, she, Tester, Manchin and other centrist Democrats, such as Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) can vote for it instead of the Lee proposal and fend off Republican attacks that they don’t take the situation at the border seriously. 

Her amendment would need to be allowed a simple-majority vote threshold to have a chance of passing. If the parliamentarian rules it needs 60 votes to be attached to the omnibus, it will likely fall away.  

Sinema’s proposal would boost border security funding, increase resources for border communities and extend Title 41 until what she calls “a proper plan” to address the flood of migrants is in place.  

“This year’s historic levels of border crossings at our Southern border makes clear the status quo is not working. Our amendment boosts funding for border security, increases resources for border communities and extends Title 42 until a proper plan to manage the crisis at our border is in place,” Sinema said in statement.