Republicans will not support aid to Ukraine without national security package
Republicans in the U.S. Senate will not support aid to Ukraine without considering the border security bill to demonstrate to Democrats their seriousness and commitment to securing the national borders, Republican Senator Jim Risch of Idaho told U.S. broadcaster Voice of America on Dec. 9.
"This was a clear party-line vote on a
national security package that we have to pass,” Risch said, adding that the
consideration of the bill would not be delayed for long.
“We’re going to pass it. We had to convince
our colleagues in the other party that we are very serious. We Republicans are
very serious about closing our southern border. We have about 10,000 illegal
immigrants crossing into the United States every day, and we have to secure our
border first and foremost."
"The weeks and months that you are
talking about are behind us, not in front of us. We've been talking about this
for years, not weeks and months, and it's time to get serious."
The White House requested nearly $106 billion from Congress for global security on Oct. 20, with over $61 billion of
that amount earmarked for Ukraine.
The Biden administration issued an urgent warning to Congress on Dec. 4 to approve tens of billions of dollars in
military and economic aid to Ukraine. Otherwise, the U.S. will run out of
funding to send weapons and assistance, risking “kneecapping” Ukraine on the
battlefield, U.S. President Joe Biden said.
The U.S. Department of Defense has
announced that only $5.9 billion remains in the budget for aid to Ukraine,
Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said during a briefing on Dec. 5.
Republican Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Dec. 5 that he would not support further military aid to Ukraine unless the issue of border security in the United States is resolved.
Democrats in the U.S. Senate introduced a
$111 billion national security package, including aid to Ukraine and Israel, as
well as funding for security for the southern border on Dec. 6.
However, the bill was blocked in a procedural vote by Republicans on Dec. 7.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
canceled a planned video conference appearance in front of the U.S. Congress
that same day “at the last minute” due to an “urgent matter,” NV reported
earlier.
Ukrainian presidential chief-of-staff Andrii
Yermak, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and Strategic Industries Minister Alexander
Kamyshin are all in the United States to hold meetings with high-ranking U.S.
and NATO officials regarding arms production in Ukraine, U.S. political news
outlet Politico reported on Dec. 5.
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