Issues of further military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine in the US Congress may be linked to the issue of migrants, the fight against the coronavirus and buried in inter-party discussions.
Question about military and humanitarian aid Ukraine in the US Congress may be linked to funding for measures to combat Covid-19 and/or to the discussion of immigration that is brewing on Capitol Hill between Republicans and the Biden administration, CNN reports.
This week, the Biden administration is expected to send another request to Congress for funding for Ukraine, warning that the money from the latest aid package is almost exhausted.
And while there is widespread support on Capitol Hill for more aid to Ukraine, the Senate path is very thorny.
In particular, it is still unclear exactly how Democrats intend to fund aid to Ukraine. One possible option would be to tie aid to $ 10 billion in funding for the fight against Covid-19, which is already passing through the Senate.
However, linking aid to Ukraine to money for coronavirus testing and treatment during political squabbles may also be linked to immigration by US lawmakers.
The fact is that the Covid-19 $ 10 billion was halted by a Republican demand not to repeal the Trump-era norm for the immediate return of immigrants at the border back to their countries. The rule is expected to be repealed in late May, but the decision faces strong opposition from Republicans.
Negotiations on how to fund the fight against Covid and help Ukraine will begin on Monday, April 26.
The reason the Biden administration is demanding more money for Ukraine is that $ 2.45 billion of the three congressional-sanctioned dollars have already been spent.
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In total, Congress has provided $ 13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine, including $ 3 billion that the administration could spend on Ukraine at its own discretion. The bag of money is almost empty – there are only 50 million left. According to the congressman's aide, lawmakers are already discussing the adoption of another additional aid package for Ukraine, but negotiations are still preliminary.
“We are nearing the end of these funds, so we are actively working with members of Congress,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters at a briefing at the Pentagon on Friday. “We do not want to reach the point where we have actually expired. That is why we are discussing. ”
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