US Senate agrees new aid to Kyiv in return for tougher US immigration policy

The US Senate on Sunday February 4 reached an agreement between Democrats and Republicans to provide new aid to Ukraine and Israel and to tighten US immigration policy. President Joe Biden called for the speech to remain “Quickly Accepted”.

The deal, totaling $118.3 billion in funding, includes $60 billion in aid for Kiev's war effort against the Russian invasion and $14.1 billion in aid to Israel, according to a summary released by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray. It provides $20.2 billion for immigration policy reforms that have been hotly debated between Republican and Democratic negotiators.

The release of the text was quickly approved by the White House, highlighting decades of efforts to reform the immigration system. “failure” from the country.

“We reached a bipartisan national security agreement that included strong and fair immigration reforms in decades. I strongly support him.”In a press release, Joe Biden urged Congress“Accept quickly”. It is necessary“Bring it to my desk so I can announce it right away”he added.

A filibuster is expected in the House of Representatives

Passage of the 370-page bill is not guaranteed, with most Republicans in the House of Representatives opposed to sending new funds to Ukraine.

The text needs the approval of at least sixty parliamentarians to pass the first procedural vote in the Senate, which is expected to be the last on Wednesday.

Biden insisted that Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, support the bipartisan deal, despite calls not to do so by their White House nominee, Donald Trump. “If you believe, as I do, that we must secure the border now, then doing nothing is not an option.”He declared.

The United States, Ukraine's primary military backer, has been struggling for months to verify the envelope, which has been pushed by President Joe Biden and his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.

Two years into a messy war — and more than $110 billion already released by Congress — Republicans, in particular, are beginning to see the bill as too steep.

Sensing a waning sense of urgency in Washington since the war began in 2022, President Biden asked Congress in October to tie his request for aid to Ukraine to a war against America's ally Israel. Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

He also wanted to include drastic reform of America's immigration policy, a politically hot topic, especially in the midst of an election year.

To pass, the envelope must be approved in the Senate, where it theoretically needs the support of elected officials from both parties, and then in the House of Representatives. This is where things get complicated. Its president, Speaker Mike Johnson, a staunch supporter of Donald Trump, warned in late January that as things stood, a vote would be held on aid to Ukraine and new funding to strengthen the border with Mexico. “stillborn”. But he later changed his mind, telling Fox Business last Friday that he was “Nothing is foreseen”.

Since the start of the conflict, the Kremlin has seen a decline in Western aid, and any reluctance by Kyiv's allies reinforces Russia's belief that its bet is a winner. At the end of December, the US released the last installment of military aid to Ukraine.

Significant restrictions on immigration

On the immigration issue, Mr. Biden insists on an assertive approach, but more “Humanity” More than his predecessor, his controversial actions led to the separation of families along the US-Mexico border.

The text provides for more stringent restrictions on the system for processing asylum applications and a break when the number exceeds 5,000 people a week.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide future administrations with the effective tools needed to close our open border, end border chaos, and protect our nation.”Oklahoma Senator James Lankford, the Republican's lead negotiator, said in a statement.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the bill “A monumental step to strengthen US national security abroad and at our borders”.