Political paralysis in the USA. The White House wants to support Ukraine, but Congress not necessarily
8:05 AM EDT, October 18, 2023
The White House is considering whether it is worth submitting a proposal to Congress to enact an additional 100 billion dollars in aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, as well as to strengthen the borders of the US - Bloomberg reports. This amount would be sufficient for an entire year. However, the paralysis of Congress, which has grown tired of financing Kyiv, is creating a problem.
The agency indicates that the financial package under consideration includes funds for military support for Ukraine and Israel, as well as countries in the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan. In addition, some of the money will be allocated to strengthen the security of the United States' southern border in the face of an influx of illegal immigrants.
Congress turns up its nose at the idea of supporting Ukraine
Combining these two expenditures into one package has another purpose. It would be easier for Joe Biden's administration to push it through Congress, where resistance to further aid for Ukraine is growing.
Evidence of this is supposed to be a situation from years ago. The White House had then asked Congress to release an additional $24 billion for military and financial aid for Kyiv. It was supposed to last for one quarter.
However, the package failed to get through Congress. It was opposed by the extreme faction of the Republican Party. The removal of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy also caused a problem. As a result, the work of the parliament is paralyzed.
Jim Jordan has become the party's new candidate for speaker, and he is a declared opponent of aid to Ukraine. However, he has not yet gained a majority of votes.
The fate of the USA's attitude towards Ukraine is being weighed
The solution to the deadlock is to temporarily grant powers to the pro tempore Speaker, Patrick McHenry, to manage the work of the House and supervise voting. In this way, parliamentarians could decide on issues such as aid for Ukraine.
There's no certainty as to how much money from the new package being considered by the White House would end up in Kyiv. However, according to "The New York Times" and CBS television, Israel has asked the White House for equipment worth 10 billion dollars, including 155 mm artillery ammunition, additional missiles for the Iron Dome air defense system, and JDAM kits, systems that transform unguided aerial bombs into precision bombs.
