2023-10-25 00:55:27
More than 600 days have passed since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and in these almost two years the United States has supported its Ukrainian partner with tanks, missiles, helicopters, drones, artillery, military defense systems, military training, humanitarian aid and much more. All for a value of close to 75,000 million dollars. It is a much higher amount than the US has invested in other allied countries in the past. In 2021, it sent around $4 billion to Israel, although the figure at the moment, in the middle of the war, exceeds $14.3 billion. With these amounts of money, the commitment and support that Washington is willing to provide to its partners is clear.
In fact, US President Joe Biden would love to increase this economic aid, but the crisis in Congress is not making it easy for him, even though he has the support of the citizens. In a poll conducted by Quinnipiac, Americans said supporting Ukraine was a matter of national interest and more than three-quarters had the same sentiment toward Israel.
During his prime-time address to the nation last week, Biden promised he would make “an urgent budget request” to Congress to support his allies Israel and Ukraine. The current Administration wants to approve a $105 billion national security package that includes military and humanitarian assistance for Israel and Ukraine, as well as funds to strengthen security on the US-Mexico border and in the Indo-Ukraine region. Pacific, including Taiwan. But the bet is going to be complicated with a House of Representatives that remains paralyzed for lack of a leader.
Frustrations and divisions within the Republican Party are preventing the American political idiosyncrasy from moving forward with its routine. Yesterday, Republicans in the Lower House met to elect a new candidate after two frustrated options. The last one last Friday, when the representative from Ohio, Jim Jordan, did not obtain enough support to lead the presidency, leaving the position empty for the third consecutive week. He even tried three times to win the gavel, but there was no way, the most conservative wing of the Republican Party is not making it easy at all.
Yesterday they agreed on their new candidate to fill the seat from which former House Speaker Kevin McCarhty was expelled. But, just a few hours later, Minnesota Representative Tom Emmer, who had the support of McCarthy, resigned due to the lack of support from Donald Trump.
The former president assured on social networks that choosing Emmer would be “a terrible mistake.” «I have many wonderful friends who want to preside over the House and some of them are great warriors. But the fake Republican Tom Emmer, whom I don’t know well, is not one of them,” he said.
Emmer needed three rounds of voting to be chosen as a candidate. The experts did not have many hopes for him, however, and many already pointed out before the vote that none of the nine options that the Republicans had had the necessary profile to assume the responsibility that the position entails. After all, the leader of the House of Representatives is also second in line to the presidency of the United States.
The Republican congressman opposed Trump’s maneuvers in the past to reverse the result of the 2016 presidential elections, which has taken its toll on him at a time when the party is at the mercy of the will of the hard wing, similar to the former president. . Emmer, deputy leader of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, won 117 votes, compared to 97 votes for Congressman Mike Johnson.
If the House remains without a speaker, there is a risk of not being able to approve more aid for Israel and Ukraine. In addition, November 17 marks the 45-day deadline for Congress to once again face a government shutdown.
#power #vacuum #Congress #prevents #sending #aid #Israel #Ukraine