On 14 December, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that the US Senate would hold a vote on military aid for Ukraine and Israel in the coming week. This vote is part of ongoing negotiations concerning modifications to US border security policy linked to the funding, Reuters reports.
To facilitate these negotiations, the Senate has decided to postpone its scheduled holiday break, originally set to commence on 14 December. Instead, the Senate will reconvene on 18 December, providing negotiators with additional time to reach a consensus.
“So much hangs on our success,” Schumer said. “We know the world is watching.”
Democratic President Joe Biden has been pushing for the approval of a supplemental aid package, which includes $50 billion in new security funding for Ukraine in its war with Russia and $14 billion for Israel in its conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
On the other hand, Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Republicans in the Democratic-majority Senate have consistently stated that they will only support this aid package if it includes new measures for US-Mexico border controls, linking the urgent military aid to the invaded nation to an unrelated domestic issue that has not been resolved for decades.
Any deal reached in the Senate, where Democrats hold a 51-49 majority, would additionally require endorsement from the House, where Republicans maintain a 221-213 majority, before it can become law. House members departed from Washington as planned on 13 December to commence their holiday recess.
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- How Ukraine aid became a hostage of the US border crisis
- UK Foreign Secretary to US: Blocking Ukraine aid would be “Christmas present” to Putin
- Blinken: Denying aid to Ukraine risks unleashing Pandora’s box of aggression
