Elizabeth Frantz / Reuters
Donald Trump’s allies in the House of Representatives dealt a new blow to supporters of aid to Ukraine on Monday, February 12, by refusing to examine an envelope being debated in the Senate that would release $60 billion for Kiev. Democrats and Republicans in the US Congress have been divided for months on the issue of aid to Ukraine – the United States’ ally at war with Russia for nearly two years. Democrats, by a large majority, are in favor. Republicans are divided between interventionist hawks, pro-Ukraine, and Donald Trump’s lieutenants, who are more isolationist.
In the midst of the presidential campaign, the equation between President Joe Biden, who is urgently seeking this new funding, and Donald Trump, who claims he will compromise if he is re-elected in November, has turned into a long-distance standoff. War between Russia and Ukraine “In 24 hours” – without really explaining how. So it doesn’t matter whether a Democratic president supports the project, or whether he has urged Congress “Adopt it fast”. In these negotiations, it is his predecessor and potential rival in the presidential election who has the last word. The Senate, with a Democratic majority, has certainly taken several steps to adopt a text combining $60 billion in aid for Kiev with funding for Israel and Taiwan — an envelope of $95 billion. Without the support of Republicans, the majority in the House and many of whom are loyal to Donald Trump, the text can go nowhere.
Migration crisis
On Monday evening, Mike Johnson, the leader of the Republicans in the House of Representatives and loyal to Donald Trump, assured that the text negotiated by the senators will not be examined in his hemicycle. “Senate Foreign Aid Bill Remains Silent on Our Nation’s Most Pressing Problem”, referring to the migrant crisis on the border between the United States and Mexico, condemned Mike Johnson in a press release. In exchange for accepting aid to Kiev, Republicans are demanding a significant strengthening of migration policy. And “In the absence of any change” From the Senate on this subject, “The House of Representatives will continue to act on these important issues at its own discretion”He assured.
Mike Johnson, like many Republicans in Congress, is following the direction of Donald Trump, who said Saturday that the United States “Stop giving money without expecting anything in return”. The Republican candidate even threw a wrench into the pond, making sure “will encourage” Russia will attack NATO countries if they don’t pay their share – prompting a barrage of criticism from the other side of the Atlantic. “We aid Ukraine more than $100 billion more than NATO”Donald Trump insisted on his Truth social network Monday evening. “NATO must equalize, and now”He demanded. “Otherwise it would be America First!”He said, between 2017 and 2021, in reference to the isolationist principle that lays at the heart of his foreign policy.
War in Ukraine
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