In the USA, the election campaign is taking up the discussion about aid for Israel and Ukraine. A vote must be taken in the Senate in the final hours in an attempt by the administration Joe Biden to serve that purpose, but which Republicans have blocked due to a conflict over border security.
Senate Republicans have insisted that foreign aid must be accompanied by major changes in border security policy, and while there have been bipartisan talks to find consensus, the two sides remain far apart. The president reiterated the need to pass the measure, citing national security reasons and warning his counterpart that Ukrainian civilians should not be affected by internal conflicts.
The White House issued a dire warning earlier this week saying Ukraine’s funding was running out, but in an immovable position is the Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, said Republicans would block the bill if it comes to a vote because it doesn’t adequately address border security. “Senate Republicans will reject the request to close debate on a bill that does not seriously address America’s top national security priorities,” McConnell said on the floor.
For his part, the majority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, accused Republicans of “holding the process hostage” as the path to approving aid to Ukraine and Israel remains unclear. Schumer pushed to start the debate over foreign aid and promised to give Republicans the First Amendment to address their demands on border policy.
If nothing changes, Republican senators warn that they are on track to go on vacation without approving the surcharge – a strong message to their Democratic colleagues, whom they accuse of not taking border security seriously enough.
“Make no mistake: today’s vote will be remembered for a long time. And history will judge harshly those who have turned away from the cause of freedom. “We can’t let Putin win,” Biden said, in a much higher tone than in previous days.
Senate Democrats have released that their bill completes a $110 billion security aid package that includes funding for Israel and Ukraine and humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza, among other priorities.