US President Joe Biden is asking Congress to quickly pass a long-awaited bipartisan funding bill totaling $118 billion.
Combining the allocation of funds to help Ukraine, Israel and to strengthen the southern border of the United States, it was finally agreed upon by American senators. An initial vote is expected midweek, but it is already clear that the bill will face significant opposition in the House. Speaker Mike Johnson has already promised to block it. Johnson declared the bill “dead”, making it clear that the House would not vote on it:
“I’ve seen enough. This bill is even worse than we expected, and it won’t come close to ending the border disaster the president has created.”
The document itself does not imply a complete closure of the border (as many Republicans demand). It increases the powers of border and migration authorities. It also facilitates immigration to the United States, for example, of Afghans who helped the Americans in Afghanistan.
Since last fall, senators have been unable to reach an agreement. The main reason is the differences between Republicans and Democrats over measures to strengthen the border with Mexico and tightening immigration policies. By demanding tighter control of the border with Mexico, Republicans made it a condition for discussing any additional aid to Ukraine.
The amount of additional financing is more than $118 billion, writes BBC: Senators propose to allocate $60.06 billion to support Ukraine, 14.1 billion to help Israel, 20.23 billion to ensure border security with Mexico, 4.83 billion to support US partners in the Indo-Pacific region, 2.44 billion – to the US Central Command and 2.44 – to support operations in the Red Sea.
The text of a compromise agreement on additional funding for “national security issues,” which could put an end to the disputes, has been posted on the US Senate website. The total amount of funds will be $118.3 billion, according to the document.
US President Joe Biden, as DW writes, commented on the presentation of the project. According to him, “a group of senators from the Democratic and Republican parties worked on the text of the document for more than two months – around the clock, on holidays and weekends.” Biden specifically indicated that supporting Ukraine in the war waged against it by Russia is in the security interests of the United States. If Russian President Vladimir Putin’s desire for power and control over Ukraine is not stopped, he will not limit himself only to Ukraine, and the costs for America will rise, the head of the White House explained.
More Stories
Modern Germans are far from the most hardworking in Europe
Georgia: Opposition leaders were brutally beaten by security forces (video)
Congressmen warn ICC about sanctions because of Netanyahu