Yuri Kobzar19:14, 11/19/23

Congress may sacrifice Ukraine if, because of it, they cannot pass a full-fledged US budget.

The US Congress must pass a large package of military aid to Ukraine and Israel no later than Christmas, otherwise the issue will again be stuck indefinitely due to the holidays. Congressmen told NBC News about this .

Lawmakers who spoke with reporters say that this is a fairly ambitious schedule. Therefore, in order for the bill to successfully pass both houses of Congress and receive the president’s signature, it is better to develop it in the upper house – the Senate – where Democrats dominate and where there is a bipartisan consensus to support Ukraine and Israel. Instead, if the bill is drafted, as is usually the case, by the lower house – the House of Representatives – dominated by Republicans, the decision could once again fail.

Four Senate sources directly involved in the negotiations told NBC News that the window between Thanksgiving (Nov. 26) and Christmas is critical. At the same time, both Republicans and Democrats are concerned that if the procedure is delayed until the New Year, the chances of getting the bill passed as a whole become illusory.

The problem here is that the US still does not have a full government budget for the current fiscal year, which started in October, and has already passed a temporary 6-week interim budget twice. Therefore, delaying negotiations on support for Ukraine will lead to the fact that these debates will overlap with debates about America’s own budget and the escalation of political struggle in the context of the 2024 presidential elections. 

NBC News sources say the Trumpists could then push through a compromise budget bill with aid only for Israel. Then the chances of agreeing on assistance to Ukraine will become scanty.

The problem with American aid to Ukraine

As UNIAN wrote, the United States has been unable to agree on a new military assistance program for Ukraine for two months now. This week, Congress passed a new temporary budget for the country, which again does not include funds for Ukraine’s defense.

Against this background, European governments are increasing assistance to Ukraine, as fears are growing that the United States will stop supporting Kiev with weapons altogether.

(C)UNIAN 2023