2024-02-06T05:22:55+00:00
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/ US President Joe Biden is working to use his veto power against a bill supported by the Republican Party in the House of Representatives to provide aid to Israel, while Biden wants to push for the approval of legislation that includes Israel and Ukraine in that aid as well as allocating new funds for border security.
“The administration strongly encourages both chambers of Congress to reject this political ploy and instead send the bipartisan National Security Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act to the President’s desk,” the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement.
House Speaker Mike Johnson vowed Sunday that a Senate deal on a newly unveiled bill linking border security to aid to Ukraine would “arrive dead” in his Republican-controlled chamber.
“This bill is worse than we anticipated, and will not come close to ending the border disaster the president has created,” Johnson wrote on Twitter, vowing that “if this bill makes it to the House, it will be dead on arrival.”
The security bill’s annex allocates a total of $118.3 billion in funding, including $60 billion to support Ukraine, which is at war with Russia, matching the White House’s request, and $14.1 billion in security assistance to Israel, according to a summary released by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patty Murray.
The bill includes $20.2 billion for U.S. border security and a number of immigration policy changes agreed to by Democratic and Republican negotiators.
The bill gives President Biden the power to reject asylum seekers if the number of crossings exceeds 5,000 per week, which has happened several times in the past few months.
It was not clear whether the 370-page bill would have the 60 votes it needs to pass the first procedural vote in the 100-seat Senate, which is controlled by Democrats.
It is worth noting that the vote is expected to take place tomorrow, Wednesday, at the latest.