In order to avoid the shutdown of the US Government, the House of Representatives caved to the demands of Republican hardliners who refused to include further financial allocations for Ukraine. The bill will most likely pass the Senate before being quickly signed by Pres. Joe Biden.
One Washington insider told Kyiv Post that there are now 45 days to work out a new budget but there will likely be an uphill battle as a Republican minority are seeking to unseat Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy.
Larry Sabato, America's top expert on American domestic politics and the Director at the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, sees the breaks in American support as being tied to the changes brought on by the Trump-era.
"For most of the Republicans opposing Ukraine, it isn’t the money as much as the message they are trying to send," says Sabato.
Rather, like Trump, it is "'America First!'" who are "are mainly Trump backers or trying to appeal to Trump’s base. Trump and many around him openly like Putin. Ironic that they had the last debate at the Reagan Library. Everyone knows Reagan would have backed Ukraine to the hilt. Trump is no Reagan," says the American scholar.
Looking forward, after the November 2024 elections, Ukraine could see more favorable conditions if Democrats win a majority in the Congress.
"The key is what happens in 2024. If Democrats win back the House and keep the White House, aid to Ukraine will be pretty safe even if the GOP takes the Senate--because Senate republicans are more pro-Ukraine. But a GOP House after 2024 may well scale down the aid dramatically or even totally," affirms the American political expert.
WORLD BRIEFING: May 4, 2024
However, what happens during the next 45 days is not as clear.
"Votes exist in both chambers to give [Ukraine] funds, but no clear path at moment to get it to floor," said the insider source.
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