US President Joe Biden called on Congress to pass a bill to provide military support to Ukraine and Israel (Reuters)
Yesterday, Sunday, the US Senate announced a bill approved by the Republican and Democratic parties worth $118 billion, which will include providing aid to Ukraine and Israel after months of negotiations.
In a post on the “X” platform, US President Joe Biden called on Congress to pass a bill approved by both parties to provide military support to Ukraine and Israel, and provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer confirmed that he will take steps to hold a preliminary vote on the bill on Wednesday. If approved, this project will represent the most significant changes to US immigration and border security policy in decades.
Speaking to reporters, US Senator Kyrsten Sinema said that the legislation would ensure the security of the southern border of the United States by requiring the Department of Homeland Security to “close” the border to immigrants if the number of daily crossing attempts exceeds 5,000 attempts on average over a period of 7 days.
Aid to support Ukraine and Israel
In addition to allocating $20.23 billion for border security, the bill includes allocating $60.06 billion to support Ukraine in its war with Russia, $14.1 billion in security aid to Israel, $2.44 billion for US Central Command and operations in the Red Sea, and $4.83 billion. To support Ukraine.
An additional $10 billion will also be allocated to provide humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Ukraine.
The United States will provide $4.83 billion to support key regional partners in the Indo-Pacific region, where tensions between Taiwan and China have escalated. In addition, it will provide $2.33 billion to Ukrainians displaced by the Russian invasion and other refugees fleeing persecution.
Schumer indicated in his statement that the basic points mentioned in the draft law are necessary and vital and cannot be ignored, and politics must not be allowed to interfere and obstruct its implementation.
The bill's main foreign security provisions closely match what Biden requested from Congress last October, when he called for additional funds to help Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.
But this request faltered due to the insistence of Republicans in the House of Representatives to link it to a change in immigration policy.
For his part, Biden encouraged Congress to meet and approve this agreement quickly, also expressing his support for the immigration-related measures included in the draft law.
Former President Donald Trump, the most prominent candidate from the Republican Party to compete with Biden in the upcoming elections, launched an anti-immigration campaign. House Republicans are continuing their efforts to remove senior officials in the Biden administration, including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Source: Al Jazeera + Reuters