US Senate to Consider Aid to Ukraine and Israel after 23 November
The US Senate has planned to consider a joint package of bills, which includes aid to Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, and strengthening of the border, after Thanksgiving, which is celebrated on 23 November in the United States.
As reported by CNN with reference to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, he said he very strongly wants all four of US President Joe Biden’s requests, which includes Ukraine, Israel, humanitarian aid and the Indo-Pacific region, to be approved. He emphasised that the legislators will "work very hard to get that down".
"As soon as we come back in Thanksgiving, it will be a very high priority, get all four of them done, all four have bipartisan support in the House. Together," Schumer said.
Answering the question whether the Republican Party is trying to split the package into smaller, separate bills, Schumer said bipartisan support is needed for all four, adding that he is going to work hard to get all four bills passed.
US President Joe Biden is trying to convince the US Congress to support aid to both Ukraine and Israel and to approve a new US$106 billion aid package, which includes more than US$61 billion in funding for aid to Ukraine.
But Mike Johnson, the new speaker of the US House of Representatives, insists that the aid packages for Ukraine and Israel be considered by Congress separately, and the "Ukrainian" package be considered together with appropriations for border security with Mexico.
On 14 November, the US House of Representatives approved a two-stage temporary government funding bill without allocating money for aid to Ukraine and Israel.
Republican congressman Don Bacon said the House of Representatives already knows what to do with the draft bill on aid to Ukraine, as well as how much money they want to allocate to Kyiv. In his opinion, the bill could be considered in December.
The Biden administration is urging Congress to approve the White House's request for aid to Ukraine as soon as possible to prevent serious consequences for its defence capabilities.