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US military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine could be at risk of being bogged down in the immigration battle brewing on Capitol Hill between Republicans and the Biden administration.
The Biden administration is expected to send another supplemental request to Congress this week for Ukraine after warning that money from the last package is nearly depleted. But, while there is broad support on Capitol Hill to give Ukraine more assistance, the path to passage is much more uncertain in the U.S. Senate.
It’s still not clear what vehicle Democrats would use to pass Ukraine aid, but one likely option would be to attach the aid to $10 billion in COVID-19 funding that is already moving through the Senate. Attaching Ukraine aid to money for COVID-19 testing and treatments, however, could put the critical wartime aid in the crosshairs of political infighting over immigration.
Where things stand on Covid relief: Before the recess, the $10 billion COVID-19 relief package stalled out after Republicans insisted they wouldn’t fast-track the process unless Democrats agreed to vote on an amendment that would block the administration’s decision to overturn Title 42, a Trump-era order that during the pandemic allowed both the Trump and Biden administrations to turn immigrants at the border back to their home countries immediately citing a public health crisis. That order is expected to be overturned at the end of May, but the decision faces stiff opposition from Republicans and some moderate Democrats who have warned the decision will cause an uptick of illegal crossings at the border.
In order to pass Covid-19 relief quickly before the recess, Republicans argued they wanted a vote to block the administration’s decision on Title 42. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wouldn’t give it to them.
Talks over how to pass both covid relief and Ukraine aid will begin Monday when lawmakers return to Washington. Schumer has also made it clear that he wants to include global vaccine…
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Source : cnn
