U.S. Congressional leaders hope to pass Ukraine aid package before Christmas
The relevant statement was made by NBC News, referring to sources in the U.S. main legislative body, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
According to the publication, the ambitious timeline would mean striking a deal that satisfies the funding requested by the Department of Defense to aid conflict zones, while simultaneously crafting an immigration package that not only provides resources for border security but includes a suite of policy changes to appease conservatives without alienating progressive Democrats.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer noted that passing the supplemental aid for Ukraine and Israel would be a top priority for him in the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“I hope we can come to an agreement even if neither side gets everything they insist on. But it – we will be working on it immediately when we get back after Thanksgiving,” Schumer said.
But while Senate leaders are moving forward with their process, there is a group of conservative Republicans pushing the new House speaker, Mike Johnson, to pass a GOP-led bill in the House as a starting point for bicameral negotiations.
If the effort is successful, the House bill would be far more conservative than what might emerge in the Senate and could give hard-liners in the upper chamber more leverage in their negotiations over the final package. Johnson has not yet said how he plans to handle the negotiations.
Four Senate sources directly connected to the negotiations told NBC News the window between Thanksgiving and Christmas is crucial, and that there is concern among both Republicans and Democrats that if the calendar slides into the New Year, the chances of getting all four planks of the plan – aid to Israel, Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific, and for border security – over the finish line reduces dramatically.
