The U.S. Senate on Wednesday blocked an emergency spending bill to provide billions of dollars in security assistance to Ukraine and Israel as Republicans insisted on their demands for stricter immigration controls on the U.S. border with Mexico, UNN reports citing Reuters.
Details
The vote was 49 in favor and 51 against, leaving the $110.5 billion funding short of the 60 votes needed in the 100-member Senate to pave the way for debate, jeopardizing US President Joe Biden's push to provide new aid by the end of 2023, the newspaper said.
The vote was along party lines, with every Republican in the Senate voting against it, as well as Senator Bernie Sanders.
The bill provides about $50 billion in new security assistance for Ukraine, as well as money for humanitarian and economic aid to Ukraine, plus $14 billion for Israel, which is fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, also voted "no" so that he could reintroduce the measure in the future.
Republicans have said it is crucial to advocate for stronger immigration policies and control of the southern border.
Even if the bill is passed by the Senate, it will still need to be approved in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where dozens of Republicans have voted against aid to Ukraine, including Speaker Mike Johnson, the newspaper noted.
Addendum
The emergency spending bill includes $20 billion for US border security.
Schumer said on Tuesday that he would try to break the deadlock by offering Republicans the opportunity to introduce a border policy amendment to the legislation.
By Wednesday evening, no such amendment had been announced.