American publications are discussing the prospects for adopting a new aid package to Ukraine in light of the debate that has flared up in the US Congress on the immigration issue.
Aid to Ukraine continues to be at the center of discussions in the US Congress, but the adoption of an aid package for Kyiv now largely depends on reaching a compromise on the sensitive issue of domestic immigration policy for Republicans.
According to the Washington Post , one of the main reasons for the Republicans’ ultimatum position was dissatisfaction with the immigration policies pursued by the Biden administration. The reforms they proposed were never implemented; Many conservatives believe now is the time to push for needed changes.
“Senators are stuck on issues including whether some migrants should be forced to seek asylum in Mexico or other countries rather than at the southern border, and whether to reduce the number of migrants who are released at the border and allowed to await trial in the USA – write the authors of the article. “Republicans would also like to limit President Biden’s use of humanitarian reasons to release certain categories of immigrants early, a practice they say encourages more people to try to cross the border.”
“Democrats must understand that we view the situation on the southern border as a national security crisis,” the publication quotes Republican Senator John Thune. “And if we are going to make additions on national security issues, they absolutely have to include the border.”
In turn, Democrats seek to separate the issues of foreign aid and resolving the immigration issue. “I wouldn’t want the Republicans to demand that we solve a really difficult domestic political problem to keep Putin from marching across Europe, but that’s exactly what they are doing,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, one of the leading negotiators, told the newspaper. In addition, Democrats are under pressure from their supporters, urging them not to agree to “Donald Trump’s wish list” of tightening immigration policy.
“Meanwhile, Ukraine’s fate hangs in the balance: by the end of the year, its small but resilient armed forces may face a shortage of materiel,” the article’s authors conclude. “But despite the differences, both sides are committed to continuing negotiations because they understand how high the stakes are.”
The immigration issue is so complex that its discussion is likely to be postponed until next year, writes The Wall Street Journal . At the same time, Democrats insist that funding for Ukraine must be approved immediately. “This is not a case where we can repeat party talking points and not come to an agreement, blame the failure on the other side and go home believing that we will come back to the issue next week,” Democratic Senator Michael Bennet, who is also involved in the negotiations, was quoted as saying. – Ukraine has run out of ammunition. They give their lives.”
The newspaper also quotes Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, as saying that “the package should be bipartisan anyway.” “We are working hard to get this done,” Schumer said. “Republicans are making it difficult, but we will continue to discuss.”
Schumer told his colleagues that he will introduce the bill to the Senate on December 4 and will give Senate negotiators at least another week to work out a compromise, The Hill reports . The publication quotes Schumer as saying that “time is running out for Ukrainian troops” and that GOP senators’ demands for immigration reform are “the biggest obstacle to passing a national security package.”
The United States has less than $5 billion left in military aid to Ukraine, writes The New York Times . The Biden administration, wanting to support Kyiv and remain a reliable partner in NATO, predicts that funding for the war will be approved by the end of the year, however, according to Republican Mark Turner, quoted by the newspaper, “this will be extremely difficult to achieve due to the current mood in Congress ” In such a situation, as the authors of the article write, NATO support remains critical for Ukraine: several diplomats have already stated that, given the uncertainty of funding, the alliance must take on long-term security obligations. The publication quotes Bulgarian Foreign Minister Maria Gabriel as saying that NATO must “together determine what the next steps will be so as not to create expectations that we cannot fulfill.” The publication also recalled NATO’s priorities to support Ukraine with the words of Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who assured that US assistance will continue – not only to protect American security interests, but also because this is “what we agreed on.”
Fox News quotes Speaker Mike Johnson as saying that Republicans do not intend to retreat from resolving the immigration issue: “Ukraine is one of the priorities. Of course, we cannot allow Vladimir Putin to walk around Europe, and we understand the need to provide assistance to Ukraine. But in this case, we must also work to change our own immigration policies, he said. “I think most of our colleagues in the Senate recognize that these two issues must be addressed together because we owe it to the American people.”
In turn, Democrats will likely be forced to compromise, Politico argues . According to the authors of the article, more and more Democrats in the Senate are leaning toward tightening immigration policy, not only in an attempt to help America’s “troubled” allies, but also to “dull the political urgency of the border issue ahead of the 2024 elections.” Moreover, many Democrats believe that there is “nothing wrong” with moderate changes to immigration policy.
If President Biden wants to prevent Russia from gaining an advantage over Ukraine, winning the war, or threatening broader aggression, he needs to negotiate an aid package for Kiev with Republicans soon, the conservative New York Post wrote in an editorial . “Changes to prevent ineligible migrants from seeking asylum in the United States are important in their own right,” the paper concluded. “But the most important thing is that the Republicans control the House of Representatives; It will simply be impossible to provide critical assistance to Ukraine without reaching an agreement.”
Source : VOA