US lawmakers still do not agree on aid for Ukraine
The US Congress is running out of time to pass a new aid package for Ukraine before the holidays. US Senate lawmakers worked over the weekend to agree on a package of border security measures in exchange for Republican votes for a bill that includes aid for Ukraine.
This is reported by the Voice of America, Censor.NET informs.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, acknowledged that negotiations would take time.
"Everyone knows that something needs to be done to fix our immigration system, but we can't do it by compromising our values. Finding a middle ground is extremely difficult, and both sides have to recognise that they will have to make concessions. This will take time," Schumer said.
During the Senate session on Monday, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said: "Senate Republicans will not respond to others' tardiness in negotiating by abdicating our responsibility to thoroughly discuss and review any agreement before a vote," alluding to Republican criticism of the White House, which allegedly joined the negotiations at a late stage.
McConnell also suggested that the vote would take place after the holidays. "I am encouraged by the commitment of my colleagues to continue to make steady progress in the negotiations over the next week and beyond," he said.
The United States has already allocated more than $100 billion to arm and support Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, and US President Joe Biden has asked Congress to approve another $60 billion.
In the past weeks, Senate Republicans have made a condition for approving additional funding for Ukraine - changing immigration rules to reduce the number of people entering the US through the southern border and removing some of those already in the country.
A small group of lawmakers from both parties, along with representatives of the Biden administration, are trying to work out a deal that will have sufficient support from both sides.
The US Senate was scheduled to hold its last meeting of the year last Thursday, but changed its schedule to allow for the negotiations. The US House of Representatives has adjourned for the rest of the year, but may return for a vote if a deal is reached.
As of Monday morning, lawmakers still had not agreed on a package, and a vote seems increasingly unlikely.
Even if the deal passes in the Senate, it may not be approved by the House of Representatives, where Republicans hold a majority. A group of House GOP lawmakers oppose additional aid to Ukraine, and the party recently ousted the speaker who worked with Democrats to pass the legislation.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who took over after his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, was ousted, said that increased funding for border security is important to include in an aid package for Ukraine; however, he also wants more conditions attached to the aid.
"The Biden administration seems to be asking for billions of dollars in additional funding without any oversight, without a clear strategy for winning, and without any of the answers that I think the American people should be getting," he said this week.
