The U.S. Senate may reject Biden’s request for assistance to Ukraine and Israel – Politico

The request from U.S. President Joe Biden for further financial assistance to Ukraine and Israel may face opposition in the Senate due to divisions within the Republican Party.

This information reported by Politico.

“President Joe Biden’s request for $106 billion in national security funding is in a precarious position. Disagreements within the Republican Party in the Senate could lead to the rejection or significant alteration of this request,” the publication states.

Republicans threaten to block Biden’s request for an additional $106 billion for Ukraine and Israel even at the Senate stage, where they are in the minority. The “keys” to the Senate belong to the Democrats but they will need nine or more Republican votes to proceed with the vote.

It is noted that Republicans have divided opinions on whether to link aid to Israel and Ukraine with many of them insisting on paying more attention to immigration policy.

The majority of Republicans support aid to Israel but they have reservations regarding Ukraine. Therefore, they want to split these expenditure items. Many of them also insist on significant changes to border policy and are dissatisfied with the amount.

Senator Mike Rounds, a Republican, declared, “The package sent by the White House is effectively dead.”

The next hearing regarding Biden’s request will take place in the Senate Appropriations Committee next week.

If the document is approved in the Senate, it will face a vote in the House of Representatives, where Republicans have the majority but they cannot elect a speaker.

Previously, Biden requested $61.3 billion in aid for Ukraine and $14.3 billion for Israel from Congress. These two countries, along with some other regions are expected to receive over a hundred billion dollars. Before this, he addressed the nation in a televised speech, stating that supporting Kiev and Tel Aviv is a “wise investment” that will continue to “pay dividends for generations” and help avoid endangering American troops.