MARANA -- Sen. Mark Kelly wants Sen. JD Vance to explain why former President Donald Trump torpedoed a bipartisan border security bill.
Vance, R-Ohio, is the GOP nominee for vice president and is campaigning for Trump on Tuesday in Peoria and Tucson.
Kelly, D-Ariz., took off Tuesday on his own tour across Arizona, stumping for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.
"I hope he (Vance) has an answer for why Donald Trump killed a bipartisan border security deal that we worked on in the United States Senate over a matter of months," Kelly told reporters before piloting a Columbia 400 plane out of Marana Regional Airport.
Kelly criticized Trump for killing the bill after the former president urged Republicans to oppose it on the social media platform Truth Social.
He challenged Vance to explain why his running mate blocked the bipartisan bill and is now asking Congress to pass similar legislation, such as hiring more border agents.
The Border Act of 2024, initially introduced in February by Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., would have delivered $118 billion in border funding and included provisions to hire 1,500 Customs and Border Protection agents and 1,600 asylum officers.
"If you're a Border Patrol agent here in Arizona, Donald Trump made sure you earned less money. That affects you and your families," Kelly said.
Kelly will fly between six cities from Tuesday to Thursday, covering what would have been 1,200 miles by car.
On Tuesday, the senator will visit communities along the Arizona-Mexico border, starting with an event in Sierra Vista focused on veterans and democracy. In the afternoon, he'll travel to Yuma to encourage voters to submit early ballots as Election Day nears only two weeks from November 5.
Kelly will continue his tour on Wednesday morning, meeting with tribal leaders in Tuba City. Later that day, he will attend an event at Northern Arizona University and visit a Democratic field office in Flagstaff.
He will conclude his tour on Thursday with visits to Lake Havasu City and Casa Grande.
Have any news tips or story ideas about the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona? Reach the reporter at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @raphaeldelag.