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The U.S. Senate will begin considering a package including aid for Israel and Ukraine as soon as next week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (Democrat-New York) told reporters on November 28.
“I’m gonna put them on the floor next week, hopefully with bipartisan support, because that’s the only way you can get it done,” Schumer said at his weekly news conference. “We hope to have a vote next week. Yes, that’s the plan.”
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Schumer said the aid bill is needed even if there is no agreement on funding for border security measures that Republican lawmakers have demanded.
President Joe Biden last month submitted to Congress a request for more than $105 billion in defense aid, which included $61.4 billion in aid to Ukraine and $14.3 billion in aid to Israel, but the measure remains blocked, raising concerns that funds for Ukraine might never pass, especially after the Republican-led House of Representatives recently passed a bill including assistance for Israel but not Ukraine.
The combined aid request is likely to face more difficulty in the House, but Speaker Mike Johnson (Republican-Louisiana) said he remains “confident and optimistic” Congress will be able to pass aid for Israel and Ukraine before the holiday season.
“I think all of that will come together in the coming days. I’m confident and optimistic that we’ll be able to get that done — get that over the line,” he said on November 27 at an event in Florida, according to Politico. He added that in Congress there is “a sense of urgency” to provide aid to both Ukraine and Israel.
“Of course, we can’t allow [Russian President] Vladimir Putin to march through Europe, and we understand the necessity of assisting there,” he said. “What we’ve said is that if there is to be additional assistance to Ukraine — which most members of Congress believe is important — we have to also work on changing our own border policy.”
Johnson said a lot of “thoughtful negotiation” has taken place on providing assistance to Ukraine and changing U.S. policy regarding its southern border but acknowledged this is an approach that links Ukraine’s military assistance to one of the most divisive domestic political issues.
“I think most of our Senate colleagues recognize that those two things need to move together because we owe that to the American people,” he said.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said earlier on November 28 he expects the United States to continue its support of Ukraine in its fight to repel invading Russian forces despite opposition from some Republican lawmakers who have cast doubt on Washington’s aid to Kyiv.
Speaking at a meeting of foreign ministers from the alliance’s 31 members, Stoltenberg said that the allies have provided Ukraine with an unprecedented level of military support since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
That support has allowed Ukraine “to inflict heavy losses on Russian forces,” he said. “Therefore, we must continue to support them.”
Commenting on whether U.S. support will continue despite a political impasse in Washington, Stoltenberg voiced confidence aid from the United States — which so far has topped $40 billion — will continue to flow.
“I am confident that the United States will continue to provide support because it is in the security interest of the United States to do so,” Stoltenberg said.
With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and Politico
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