The U.S. Senate will begin considering a package including aid for Israel and Ukraine as soon as next week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (Democrat-New York) told reporters on November 28.
“I’m gonna put them on the floor next week, hopefully with bipartisan support, because that’s the only way you can get it done,” Schumer said at his weekly news conference. “We hope to have a vote next week. Yes, that’s the plan.”
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Schumer said the aid bill is needed even if there is no agreement on funding for border security measures that Republican lawmakers have demanded.
President Joe Biden last month submitted to Congress a request for more than $105 billion in defense aid, which included $61.4 billion in aid to Ukraine and $14.3 billion in aid to Israel, but the measure remains blocked, raising concerns that funds for Ukraine might never pass, especially after the Republican-led House of Representatives recently passed a bill including assistance for Israel but not Ukraine.
The combined aid request is likely to face more difficulty in the House, but Speaker Mike Johnson (Republican-Louisiana) said he remains “confident and optimistic” Congress will be able to pass aid for Israel and Ukraine before the holiday season.
“I think all of that will come together in the coming days. I’m confident and optimistic that we’ll be able to get that done — get that over the line,” he said on November 27 at an event in Florida, according to Politico. He added that in Congress there is “a sense of urgency” to provide aid to both Ukraine and Israel.
“Of course, we can’t allow [Russian President] Vladimir Putin to march through Europe, and we understand the necessity of…
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