As of: February 14, 2024, 6:30 a.m
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After the Senate approved new aid to Ukraine, its release now depends on the representatives in Mike Johnson's parliamentary chamber.
© Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP/dpa
The aid package for Ukraine passed by the Senate may never make it to US President Biden's desk.
What does this have to do with domestic political disputes about migration in the USA?
Washington - “Bring it to a vote: immediately, immediately”: With these words, US President Joe Biden addressed the chairman of the House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson.
After the Senate approved new aid to Ukraine, its release now depends on the MPs in Johnson's parliamentary chamber.
But there might not even be a vote there.
The background is a domestic political dispute between Republicans and Biden's Democrats over irregular migration, which is shaking up the entire undertaking.
What does aid to Ukraine have to do with migration to the USA?
At first glance, not much.
However, Republican hardliners are connecting these issues with one another for election campaign reasons - especially the current presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump.
The 77-year-old and his supporters take the position that taxpayers' money should first and foremost be spent on protecting their own borders and not on protecting other countries.
The situation is so deadlocked that Biden and his Democrats are even emphasizing the fact, which is usually expressed behind closed doors, that this tax money flows back into the US weapons industry - ultimately serving their own economy.
The USA is considered Ukraine's most important supporter in the defense against the Russian invasion.
The United States has provided more than $44 billion in military aid alone to Kiev since the start of the war.
There are also billions more in economic and humanitarian support.
In order to secure further supplies, Biden had already requested billions in new aid from Congress in October.
But the right wing of the Republicans in the House of Representatives had already announced resistance.
Specifically, the Republicans are accusing Biden and the Democrats of not taking tough enough action on the country's southern border.
Thousands of people come to the United States every day, mostly from Latin America and the Caribbean, fleeing poverty and conflict in their home countries.
In December, the US Border Patrol reported around 250,000 arrests - more than ever before in a month.
The authorities are under pressure.
The justice system can hardly keep up with processing asylum applications.
There is also a lack of accommodation and other resources for the newcomers.
This is now also noticeable in states far from the border.
In the middle of an election year, the issue is even bigger.
This is also shown by the Republicans' move to remove US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas from office because of his handling of the situation at the border.
A narrow majority of Republicans in the House of Representatives voted for such impeachment - even if the request has no chance of success in the other chamber of Congress, the Senate.
But the Republicans are placing the issue of migration wherever they can.
It is something that concerns many voters.
They're not just looking at the presidential candidates: in the November election, all seats in the House of Representatives and a third of the seats in the Senate will also be reassigned.
This means that some members of Congress are worried about their mandate because of this controversial issue.
Hasn't there already been an agreement on new aid to Ukraine?
Nope.
After Biden requested the aid in Congress, tough negotiations followed in the Senate, which led to a bipartisan bill after several months.
In addition to money for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific, this also included funds for US border security.
However, for some Republicans in the Senate, the proposal did not go far enough.
The plan already failed there.
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In order to make some kind of progress after the months-long standstill, the Democratic majority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, decided to introduce a slightly slimmed-down bill shortly afterwards - without the major sticking point of border security.
The draft provides for around 60 billion US dollars (almost 56 billion euros) in aid for Ukraine, 14 billion US dollars for Israel and billions in aid for Taiwan and other partners in the Indo-Pacific.
This draft was successful: 70 of the 100 senators voted for it, 22 of them Republicans.
But this only clears the first hurdle in Congress.
Approval in the other chamber of parliament, the House of Representatives, is still pending.
And nothing has changed in terms of the blockade attitude of the Republicans there.
Is aid to Ukraine in danger of failing?
That is quite possible.
Trump continues to stir up opposition to the new package - as he did against previous versions.
He wants to prevent Biden from achieving a bipartisan success in the election year.
He has particularly loyal colleagues at his side in the House of Representatives.
This includes Chairman Johnson.
And in his role he largely has control over which legislative proposals are actually voted on in his chamber.
There is a parliamentary trick to get around it.
And that's exactly what Democrats in the House of Representatives are currently considering.
But the matter is complicated, and the Democrats would have to get several Republicans in the chamber on their side.
Johnson has already indicated that he has no plans to put the Senate-passed bill to a vote in the House of Representatives any time soon.
Other things would have priority, such as legislation on border security or budget issues.
The Republican is under enormous pressure internally.
He is dealing with a deeply divided faction, and with only a wafer-thin majority.
Johnson has great difficulty closing his own ranks when voting.
Hardliners are constantly pushing him - just like his predecessor Kevin McCarthy - and are now threatening to raise a vote of no confidence in him and drive him out of office if he allows a vote on aid to Ukraine.
dpa