Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson announced a break in its work without putting to a vote the bill on aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The White House criticized him for this.
The Hill writes about it.
Before that, the Senate approved bipartisan funding for aid to allies, but Johnson said the bill lacked tougher border security measures, so he would not bring it up for a vote.
White House Press Secretary Andrew Bates claimed in a memo obtained by The Hill that Mike Johnson had early adjourned the House to avoid a vote on the bill "instead of ending the damage it does to our national security."
The vote on the draft law on aid to the Allies was supposed to take place on January 16, but it was canceled. The House of Representatives will return to work on February 28.
After that, US President Joe Biden wrote: "The failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten."
According to Andrew Bates, Johnson is not holding a vote on the bill due to political considerations. Most likely, we are talking about pressure from ex-president Donald Trump on the Republicans.
Meanwhile, Mike Johnson said that Joe Biden refused to negotiate with him on this bill.
- US military aid to Ukraine was exhausted at the end of 2023. Last year in October, Joe Biden submitted a request to Congress for the allocation of $106 billion, of which more than $61 billion is intended for Ukraine, mostly for the purchase of weapons from the United States. The rest of the funds from the package were intended for Israel, aid to the Asia-Pacific region, humanitarian activities in the Gaza Strip, etc.
- However, the request was not approved due to political disputes. Then representatives of Congress and the White House began to work on the text of the bill, which, in particular, would contain the demand of Republicans to strengthen the security of the US borders to stop migration from Mexico. Already on February 7, he did not get the necessary 60 votes in the Senate.
- Subsequently, an alternative draft law appeared on the $95.34 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, of which $61 billion is for Ukraine. The US Senate voted for him. Both houses of the US Congress (Senate and House of Representatives) must approve the legislation before President Joe Biden can sign it.