American senators decided to postpone the holiday break in order to find a compromise with funding for Ukraine and have time to vote for a bill providing for its support.
How reports Reuters, Democratic and Republican representatives in the US Senate continued negotiations on Thursday to agree on positions on approving additional aid to Ukraine and Israel, and strengthening border security measures. The second-ranking Senate Republican, John Thune, told reporters:
“We’re making progress and the White House is involved, which is good. Everything is encouraging.”
The US Senate will vote on funding for Ukraine and border security next week as negotiations continue over funding-related changes to US border security policy, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday. He said the Senate would postpone its recess, which was supposed to start on Friday, and reconvene on Monday to give negotiators time to reach an agreement:
“So much depends on our success. We know the world is watching us.”
As you know, the White House’s request for additional funding, which provides for the allocation of a total of about $61 billion to Ukraine for military and macro-financial assistance, has stalled in the US Congress. Any agreement in the Senate, which Democrats control by 51 votes, would also have to be approved by the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives (221 to 213 majority).
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans in the Democratic-majority Senate have repeatedly said they would vote for the aid only if it was coupled with new controls on the U.S.-Mexico border.
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