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US Senate Republicans have blocked aid to Israel and Ukraine from moving forward in protest over a dispute over border security policy, in a confrontation that threatens to derail the approval of foreign aid.
The result of the procedural vote was 49 against 51, falling short of the threshold of 60 votes needed to advance. At the end of the vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer changed his vote to “no” – a procedural step that will allow him to re-introduce the measure in the future.
Republicans have insisted that foreign aid must be accompanied by major changes in border security policy. There were talks to try to reach a consensus, but no bipartisan agreement was reached on this controversial issue.