U.S. Senate passes $118 billion package including aid to Ukraine, House Republicans call it ‘DOA’
The U.S. Senate unveiled a $118 billion package that includes funding for border security, as well as aid to Ukraine, Israel, and other US allies, on its website on Feb. 5.
The draft bill includes $60 billion in military assistance for Ukraine, $20 billion to strengthen its migration policy, $14 billion in military aid for Israel, nearly $5 billion to allies in the Asia-Pacific, and $10 billion to provide humanitarian assistance to civilians caught in conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine.
Funds for Ukraine include $20 billion for warehouse replenishment in the U.S., $15 billion for military training, exchange of intelligence data, and other support measures, as well as $14 billion to purchase new weapons from American companies.
About $8 billion would directly support Ukrainian budget, with another $2 billion going to the support priority sectors of Ukraine’s economy.
House Speaker Mike Johnson pushed for a vote on a separate package of $17.6 billion in military aid for Israel — a move that allows House Republicans to show support for Israel apart from the Senate deal.
Johnson's proposal is called a "cynical political maneuver" and "tricks" in the White House, which suggested that U.S. President Joe Biden will not sign the separate bill, should such a document land on his desk.
The agreement being developed in the Senate is not enough to prevent migrants from entering the United States from Mexico, Johnson said on Jan. 31. The aid to Ukraine is not to be unblocked, as he hinted before, calling the Senate deal “dead on arrival”.
While pro-Trump Republicans demand the rejection of a compromise deal on immigration, Biden's major aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and other security needs is hanging in the balance, the Financial Times wrote on Jan. 26.
Border strengthening is often discussed with Trump, Johnson said on Jan. 19 — in particular, he spoke with him on the eve of Biden's meeting on the border and aid to Ukraine.
The bill for funding aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, amounting to approximately $106 billion, failed procedural voting in the U.S. Senate on Dec. 6 due to Republican demands for stricter immigration policies. The Republicans’ blockade of aid to Ukraine is driven by their desire to strengthen the Mexico border, linking it to aid for Ukraine and Israel.
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