US Senate Blocks Aid Bill for Ukraine and Israel

The bill to provide multi-billion-dollar assistance to Ukraine and Israel did not pass a procedural vote in the US Senate, according to a report from C-Span. To bring the question to the upper chamber of Congress, the approval of 60 senators was required. A total of 51 lawmakers voted 'no', while 49 voted 'yes'.

US President Joe Biden presented a spending package aimed at ensuring America’s national security in October, totaling $106 billion. Specifically, he proposed $61 billion in military assistance for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel, and $9 billion in humanitarian aid within the context of these conflicts. Additionally, $2 billion is earmarked to support allies in the Indo-Pacific region, and $14 billion is allocated for securing the US southern border.

As part of the package, the US administration also proposed increasing the number of immigration officials to expedite the processing of asylum applications, boosting the number of patrols to combat illegal immigration, and allocating funds to states operating migrant reception centers.