The fates of US military aid to Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion and the politically explosive issue of illegal immigration into the United States were up in the air Friday as President Joe Biden rebuked congressional Republicans for stalling on a deal.
The Republican speaker of the House of Representatives said Congress is not ready to approve renewal of US military aid crucial to Ukraine for its desperate fight against Russian invasion, because there is no parallel deal on reinforcing the US-Mexican border -- a major conduit for undocumented migrants.
The Senate “appears unable to reach any agreement,” wrote Speaker Mike Johnson in a letter to lawmakers, adding that in any case his party would not give approval in the House, meaning it “would have been dead on arrival.”
But Biden responded in a statement that Republicans and Democrats have in fact been working intensively on a bipartisan deal to address those border security issues.
“What’s been negotiated would -- if passed into law -- be the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border we’ve ever had in our country,” he said in a statement. “If you’re serious about the border crisis, pass a bipartisan bill and I will sign it.”
“It would give me, as president, a new emergency authority to shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed. And if given that authority, I would use it the day I sign the bill into law,” he said.
WORLD BRIEFING: April 27, 2024
The bipartisan deal had advanced in the Senate in recent days. It would couple massive new aid for pro-Western Ukraine’s military -- soon entering its third year of fighting off President Vladimir Putin’s invasion -- and wide-ranging reforms to US immigration policy, including more ability to seal the porous southern border.
But the complex negotiations now appear to have collapsed.
This follows lobbying by Donald Trump, the former president and likely Republican nominee to contest the November presidential election.
Trump, who has questioned the US support for Ukraine’s war effort, has placed fear over illegal immigration at the heart of his platform.
This week he called the extensive border reforms being negotiated “meaningless,” although senior Republicans had previously praised the proposed measures as the toughest new restrictions on border crossings in years.
Democrats narrowly control the Senate, while Republicans have their own slim majority in the House, with far-right Trump allies holding the balance of power there.
Johnson said Biden was responsible for a “border catastrophe” and said Republicans would seek to remove Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in an impeachment process starting next week.
A vote on impeaching Mayorkas will be held “as soon as possible,” Johnson wrote.
The Democratic-controlled Senate will all but certainly acquit Mayorkas, meaning he will not be forced from his job, which includes responsibility for border security.
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Comments (6)
As a American Tax Payer, there are many bad things going on in this World , that said America has a Big Problem today also . Biden , he will be removed by American Voters , come November. American Tax Payers have done Our part in the Tens of Billions to the Hundreds. It's not limitless and anymore must be approved by American Tax Payers.
Sadly, I expect Biden to lose in November, which means Trump will probably cast Ukraine adrift (his big beautiful plan for peace means Ukraine giving up territory. In the event of a Biden loss, expect him to take as much executive action as possible to help Ukraine before a Trump inauguration on January 20th. I also expect NATO & EU to have contingency plans for a Trump presidency.
I also expect 🇨🇦 to have plans to deal with the expected flood of refugee/asylum seekers crossing into our country from the US, which happened from 2017-21
To me, it is incomprehensible why Trump admires and respects Putin.
Media in US explains the situation cristal clear. Trump wants to be seen as the person who solves the inmigration problem at the border, and he is blocking any agreement at the Congress, no matter consequences for US and the rest of the world. He is such a scunbag that even with the agreement between Republicans and Democrats at the Congress, he has frightened everyone that the agreement can´t be ahead. He is such an illiterate that instead of choosing any other subject, and there will be a lot, to block the border agreement, has chosen the aid for Ukraine. The really sad thing about this, appart from the Ukranians that are dying because of him, is that many Americans follow him on this and many other crazy ideas. Make America Great Again means disaster for the US and the rest of the world (if in the end there is no war between US and China, then the big winner will be China, as most of the worl, EU included, will end cooperating with China and leave US isolated).
The problem with illegal immigration extends beyond agriculture, and has gone on too long. There are illegal immigrants who are gardeners, maids, cooks, caregivers, nannies, etc. Does this mean the suburban housewife is going to be sentenced for hiring an illegal immigrant?
This problem started when Biden took Office, it's that simple .
Introduce mandatory sentencing for those who hire illegal immigrants and you end the incentive to cross as the jobs go away. This doesn't happen in most first world countries because you can't simply start a life without a host of proper documentation, in the US you can because your agriculture industry permits it and keeps it that way with "lobby" (called corruption and illegal in other civilized countries). So now the US dualling dictatorship system has linked true fighting for freedom in Ukraine where people are dying to protect their border, with big Agra wanting their cheap labour force, as though Ukraine's problem is in anyway the same. It disgusting and shameful, not the example a leader in nations sets.
Being an illegal immigrant is a way of life in the US, that issue now trades Ukrainian lives as a bargaining chip in a political system where each party does whatever it needs to stay in power, and the other party sabotages everything they do even if it supports their own platform. If the US can't respect it's own citizenry better, why wouldn't they dishonor security guarantees and then call too little too late charity instead of owed? Meanwhile Russia their arch foe is being degraded and defeated in many ways, without a single US soldier dying and within a fraction of the yearly defence budget.
You're welcome.
Biden simply needs to follow Federal Law as written. Simple. Constitutional. Smart.
Then Republicans will sign off on Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel. But Joe isn't smart. He's never been smart. And... Its Susan Rice making policy behind the scenes.
Agree . All of this is on Biden , in his first day he removed the system that was in place , and today America's Southern Border is Out of Control . Whether People like it or not American Tax Payers want Our Money where " We want it " . Blame this on Biden the One Who Created it .