United States: Senate adopts aid for Ukraine, blocked in the House of Representatives
The American Senate adopted this Tuesday, February 13, an envelope validating $60 billion for Ukraine and funds for Israel and Taiwan. This text is currently doomed to failure, with Republicans in the House of Representatives refusing to examine it as it stands.
The US Senate. REUTERS/US Senate TV/Handout via Reuters
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The upper house of the American Congress, with a Democratic majority, validated this envelope of 95 billion dollars at dawn on Tuesday, painfully negotiated over the last few months. This bill plans to release more than 60 billion dollars for Ukraine and 14 billion for Israel as well as funds for Taiwan, a strategic ally of the United States.
But the supporters of former President Donald Trump in the House of Representatives, where the Republicans are in the majority, showed on Monday evening their refusal to examine this text as it stands. And without Republican support, the text can go nowhere.
Read alsoAmerican aid to Ukraine: perhaps a glimmer of hope for kyiv
The Republican leader of the House, Mike Johnson, close to Donald Trump, swept aside this bill, accusing it Monday evening of remaining "
silent on the most urgent problem facing our country
", namely the migration crisis in the border between the United States and Mexico. “
In the absence of any modification
” from the Senate on the subject, “
the House of Representatives will continue to work according to its own will on these important issues
,” he assured in a press release.
The conservatives condition the adoption of new aid to kyiv on a toughening of the immigration policy that they have been demanding for a long time. A first text was presented to the Senate with a strengthening of border controls, but was rejected by the Republicans, who did not consider it firm enough.
"
Save lives
"
“
The Senate is aware of the responsibilities in terms of American national security and will not neglect them
,” retorted Tuesday after the vote the leader of the Republicans in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, in a press release. “
Given the strong bipartisan support that we have had here in the Senate with this vote, I believe that if Speaker
Johnson
introduced this bill in the House, it would pass with the same strong support
,” added the leader. Democrat of senators, Chuck Schumer, in the hemicycle.
Democrats and Republicans have been at war for months in the US Congress over aid to Ukraine and, with the November presidential election approaching, the equation has turned into a long-distance standoff between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, both candidates.
“
More urgent problem
”
The resumption of military assistance to Ukraine, an ally of the United States and at war with Russia for almost two years, which has been interrupted since the end of December, depends on this text negotiated in Congress. The Democrats are, in the vast majority, in favor. The Republicans are divided between interventionist hawks, pro-Ukraine, and lieutenants of Donald Trump, much more isolationist.
The adoption of the text in the Senate was welcomed Tuesday by Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky
who said he was “
grateful
” to the American senators. “
For us, in Ukraine, the continuation of American aid makes it possible to save human lives from Russian terror
” while “
we are fighting for freedom, democracy
”, he declared on X (ex- Twitter).
The decision by the United States Senate to continue the support for our country and our warriors has been anticipated not only by us, but also by many other nations, particularly those in Europe.
The world is looking for American leadership to remain steadfast, help protect… pic.twitter.com/SJMahBBq3g
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 13, 2024
President Joe Biden called on the House of Representatives to “
quickly
” approve the Ukraine aid package passed by the Senate. “
We can no longer afford to wait (...) If we do not stand up against tyrants who seek to conquer or carve up the territory of their neighbors, the consequences for American national security will be considerable
,” he said. -he added, in reference to Russia's war in Ukraine.
(
With
AFP)
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