Are there any chances of getting a decision on US aid this week? Overview of the US media
17 April 2024 14:35
The saga of passing an aid package for Ukraine in the US Congress continues. Speaker Johnson said that the House of Representatives would vote separately on aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. However, these votes are also being delayed. So far, no one has seen the announced bill (or bills), which may indicate that the aid will not be approved this week. Komersant ukrainskyi 
looked at the US press to see what is being said on the US sidelines.
Politico writes that the Biden administration is currently taking a wait-and-see attitude to Johnson’s split vote initiative, not least because it has not seen the actual document. So far, the White House has made public two conditions under which Democrats are ready to support the bill:
- it must include aid for Ukraine and Israel;
- it must be voted on by the end of this week.
Democrats in the House of Representatives have already expressed their willingness to vote for Johnson’s consensus plan if it includes aid for Ukraine.
“On the surface, it does look like the speaker’s proposal will help us get aid for Ukraine, aid for Israel, and the resources we need for the Indo-Pacific. We just want to get more details,”
– said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
Meanwhile, Johnson has already said that the House will vote on aid to Israel first, followed by aid to Taiwan and Ukraine.
TheNew YorkPost has published a poll showing that a majority of Republican voters in electoral districts crucial to the November elections support US assistance to Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.
“The February poll found that 60% of voters support all forms of US assistance, with the highest support among people aged 50-64 (60%) and 65 and older (80%). A slight majority of voters under the age of 35 (52%) and a majority of those aged 35-49 (48%) also supported additional aid. Only 34% of all voters were opposed to the funding, while 6% said they did not know whether they were in favour.”
– the publication wrote about Republican voters.
This report illustrates that there is indeed a favourable backdrop to support for aid to Ukraine among Republican congressmen.
At the same time, as the New York Times notes, the outrage that Johnson’s initiative to divide the issues has caused among many Republicans should not be underestimated. A number of Republicans consider this a violation of the principle they have been following for the past six months: not to vote for aid to Ukraine without the Mexican border issue in the package.
They argue that the speaker’s plan “is being sold as an open process, but it’s all structured to produce an end result that will look very much like the Senate bill”, which they have been refusing to vote on with Johnson for months.
“Don’t use Israel as a way to shove Ukraine down the throat of the American people without having border security,”
– said conservative Texas Congressman Chip Roy.
Some Republicans are outraged enough to demand Johnson’s resignation. This factor is definitely not conducive to consensus between different parliamentary groups.
Meanwhile, a photo was posted online depicting the allegedly revised support “budgets”, which now provides for only $48 billion instead of $61 billion for Ukraine.
So far, no one has confirmed the authenticity of these figures, so commentators consider it a “throw-in” or fake. The lack of reliable information about what Johnson’s final document will look like leaves the issue of support open to all congressional groups. Everyone will make up their minds when they see the bill.
