As of: February 5, 2024, 11:51 a.m
By: Stefan Krieger
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The US Senate presents a new draft for Ukraine aid and border security - the speaker of the House of Representatives is skeptical.
Washington, DC - The US Senate presented a new draft aid package for Kiev in the Ukraine war and better security of the US borders on Sunday (February 4, 2024, local time).
The so-called "National Security Amendment" totals $118.3 billion (109.8 billion euros), including $60 billion to support Ukraine, according to a summary released by Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray.
This amount corresponds to the demand of the White House.
Johnson: “Bill is even worse than expected”
According to House Speaker Republican Mike Johnson, the proposal will be “dead” once it reaches the House.
“This bill is even worse than expected,” Johnson wrote on X.
Johnson had previously spoken out in favor of handling aid funds for Ukraine and Israel separately and even fundamentally questioned benefits for Ukraine.
On Saturday he said he plans to vote this week on his own bill that would provide $17.6 billion in military aid to Israel.
This measure does not contain any new funding for Ukraine or for U.S. border security.
Senate presents $60 million aid package for Ukraine
In addition to $20.23 billion for border security at home, the new aid package presented by the US Senate also includes, after months of discussions, $60.06 billion in support for Ukraine and $14.1 billion for Israel's security.
The bill also includes $10 billion in humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Ukraine.
Mike Johnson, Speaker of the US House of Representatives.
© IMAGO/Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images
In addition, $2.44 billion is earmarked for the US Central Command and the US deployment in the Red Sea, as well as $4.83 billion for supporting US partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
“The United States and our allies face diverse, complex and sometimes coordinated challenges from adversaries seeking to disrupt democracy and expand authoritarian influence around the world,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Sunday (local time). ) at a press conference.
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Schumer urges quick vote
Even though this move met with resistance from some Democrats immediately after it was announced, but especially from hardliners among the Republicans, it is apparently the result of particularly good cooperation between Chuck Schumer and the leading Republican in the Senate, Mitch McConnell.
Schumer told reporters that he had never worked as closely with his long-time Senate colleague McConnell as he did on this bill, adding: "On many occasions we thought the negotiations had failed."
He announced that he would now work to ensure that a first vote could be held on Wednesday.
McConnell declared that Republicans would not get a better deal even with a Republican president.
Biden welcomes the draft: “Put it on my table”
However, the bill – even if it passes the Senate – is likely to fail in the House of Representatives.
There, the opposition Republicans, among whom there are many opponents of new aid to Ukraine and resistance to a border compromise with the Democrats, make up the majority.
President Joe Biden's Democratic Party has been wrestling with Republicans in Congress for weeks over an aid package for Ukraine.
In return for their approval, Republicans are demanding tougher measures to secure the US border with Mexico.
US President Joe Biden welcomed the new bill introduced by the Senate and said: “I call on Congress to quickly pass this bipartisan bill.
Put it on my table so I can sign it and make it a law immediately.”
The conservatives can block further funding for Ukraine as well as border protection legislation with their majority in the House of Representatives.
That would be exactly what Johnson suggested in his first statement.
(skr/afp/rtr)