U.S. Congress may approve aid to Ukraine in mid-January
Ukraine aid could be approved by Congress in mid-January (Getty Images)
The U.S. Congress will be able to approve a package of aid to Ukraine that will last until the end of the year in mid-January. There is also a "plan B" if the bill is not approved, according to Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley.
He is an optimist. The Congressman believes they will do it in January and he is ready not to go on vacation until the aid package is approved. According to him, this may happen in mid-January.
When Congress returns to work in January, an aid package will be agreed upon that will last for the whole year. Quigley says he would like it to last until the end of this Congress.
The Congressman adds that there is a plan "B" if additional funding for Ukraine does not pass in January, or if there is any plan "B".
He says that if it comes to that, there are some procedural methods. In particular, to try to "free" the bills that have allocations for Ukraine. A petition to "free the bill" forces it to be put to a vote, exempting it from committee review. There are also "clean funding bills" that fund Ukraine. Quigley adds he would push for that as a procedural alternative.
The Congressman will propose other measures that would provide a certain amount of money for three to four months. He adds that this is a terrible 'plan B', it's not as good as the first one, but it's very important to avoid gaps in aid.
A package for Ukraine
Over the past two months, the U.S. Congress has been engaged in a political standoff between Republicans and Democrats over a package of financial assistance for Ukraine's defense needs.
In late October, U.S. President Joe Biden proposed that Congress approve a $106 billion package to help Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. Of this amount, more than $61 billion was to be used to purchase weapons for Ukraine.
However, on December 6, the Senate blocked the start of debate on Biden's bill. Republicans demanded that the document include a tougher set of measures to protect the southern U.S. border with Mexico.
The White House is ready to compromise on stricter border crossing rules for migrants to get the GOP votes to approve financial aid to Ukraine.
The White House hopes that the Senate will approve Biden's package for Ukraine in January 2024.
