US Senate will not finish Ukraine, border deal in 2023
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Senators aim to get something done as soon as they get back from the festive break, said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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WASHINGTON - The United States Senate will not vote on a package to provide more aid to Ukraine and bolster US border security before early in 2024, as Democratic and Republican negotiators continue their work, chamber leaders said on Dec 19.
“Our negotiators are going to be working very, very diligently over the December and January break period, and our goal is to get something done as soon as we get back,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters.
The chamber’s No. 2 Republican, Mr John Thune, also said a deal would not be reached before January.
“Democrats have run out the clock to the point where getting a substantive border security deal passed before Christmas is impossible,” he said, on the Senate floor.
In a joint statement, Mr Schumer and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said negotiators “are making encouraging progress” but “challenging issues remain”.
The White House has warned that by the end of 2023, US aid will run out to help Ukraine retake territory occupied by Russia since the 2022 invasion.
The Biden administration’s request for another US$61 billion (S$80.9 billion) in support has been bogged down in Congress, where Republicans say it must be paired with tougher immigration controls along the US-Mexico border. Funding for Israel, another element of the package, is less controversial.
Immigration is one of the most divisive issues in US politics and bipartisan reform attempts have repeatedly failed over the past 20 years.
“I cannot state how complex this is. It’s the most complicated area of American law,” said Senator Kyrsten Sinema, an independent involved in the talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky faced a sceptical reception from Republicans
It is not clear that any deal reached in the Democratic-majority Senate will win support in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where a significant number of party hardliners oppose providing additional funding to Ukraine.
January also marks the start of the state-by-state Republican presidential nominating contest and lawmakers will face a deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown. REUTERS
