US Senate fails to pass Ukraine aid bill: reconsideration to follow
8 February 2024 10:45
The US Senate did not vote in favour of a bill that includes funds for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and strengthening border security with Mexico. This was announced at a meeting of the upper house of the US Congress, reports 
The US Senate did not have enough votes to support the compromise bill, which Democrats and Republicans had been negotiating for several months. The bill did not receive the required 60 votes during a procedural vote. Only 50 U.S. senators voted against the so-called cloture motion, which provides for accelerated further consideration of the bill.
The issue of border security became a non-sticking point.
US President Joe Biden criticised Senate Republicans for failing to vote on the bill, which includes aid for Ukraine. He accused Donald Trump of obstructing the vote, CNN reports.
Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova posted on Facebook that the US Senate had decided to reconsider the bill to fund aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, but without migration reform and border security.
The diplomat explained that the US lawmakers supported the procedural decision to end debate and “consider the substance of the ‘clean’ US international aid bill without migration reform introduced earlier today by Senator Patty Murray” by 58 votes to 41.
She added that this would require 60 votes.
According to the ambassador, the previous bill with a “large package”, including aid to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and border security, was “expectedly not supported” due to the lack of votes for the agreement on migration reform, which negotiators “have been working on for the last months”.
“That’s why, even before the vote on the Omnibus, the Appropriations Committee published a ‘substitute’ text that provides for international aid to Ukraine ($60.06 billion) from Israel and Taiwan,”
– markarova said.
The Senate will reconsider the document, but without migration reform, on Thursday at 19:00 (Kyiv time).
Delay in funding aid to Ukraine
The US Congress has been unable to agree on a bill on military aid to Ukraine since autumn 2023. President Joe Biden has proposed a national security bill worth more than $100 billion, including $61 billion to help Kyiv.
The document was not approved by Republicans, who want to include in the bill tighter border and migration measures on the US-Mexico border.
US President Joe Biden said he would not support the bill on aid to Israel initiated by Republicans in the House of Representatives without taking into account Ukraine’s needs.
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The US Senate unveiled a new draft law on aid to Ukraine
