The US government no longer has the means to supply Ukraine with weapons and aid because Congress has not approved any new money. This blockade should now be ended. But how?
Since the start of the Ukraine war almost two years ago, US President Joe Biden has asserted that the US will stand by Ukraine as long as it is needed. But most recently – during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington in December – his words sounded a little less confident: He said that the US would continue to supply Ukraine with weapons as long as it did could.
For months, the US President has been urging Congress to approve an additional $61 billion in military aid for Ukraine. But many Republican members of Congress are against it. Now the negotiations could get a new boost, as Congress returns from its winter break today.
Conservatives set conditions
The conservatives have tied the billions for Ukraine – and further aid for Israel and the Indo-Pacific region – to conditions. In view of record high migration, they only want to agree to the billions if the US immigration rules are massively tightened.
Homeland security is a priority, Republican Senator James Lankford from Oklahoma said on Fox News yesterday. “We are committed to helping the rest of the world. We are the role model for the world in freedom. But we also have a responsibility to protect our own country, and we will do that.”
The Republicans are pushing to strengthen border protection and finish building the wall. They also want more consistent deportations and stricter asylum procedures.
compromise to Immigration policy wanted
Lankford is part of a group of senators from both parties who have been trying for weeks to find a compromise solution on immigration policy that Republicans and Democrats can live with. Lankford said on Fox News that he hoped they could submit a draft later this week.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, called the situation at the border a “disaster” during a visit last week. Never before in history have there been as many illegal border crossings as there were last month.
In fact, the situation on the border with Mexico has worsened massively since President Biden took office. More and more people want to come to the USA. In 2021, around 1.9 million migrants tried to cross the border, and in 2023 there were over 3.2 million.
Republicans in House of Representatives have to agree
But even if the Senate now agrees on a compromise, that by no means means a green light for aid to Ukraine. Ultimately, the Republican-dominated House of Representatives must also approve the compromise. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is optimistic. He said if the Senate creates a bipartisan solution, it will put enormous pressure on the House of Representatives to also find a solution.
The ultra-conservative Republicans in Congress had previously threatened a government shutdown if the Democrats did not agree to the stricter immigration rules. For now, however, a government shutdown appears to be off the table. Negotiators from both chambers of the US Congress announced yesterday that they had agreed on a budget package.
Claudia Sarre, ARD Washington, tagesschau, January 8th, 2024 7:56 a.m