Media say US lawmakers consider splitting border protection bill and Ukraine funding

Mike Johnson, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, told a group of Baltic speakers of parliament on 31 January that the national security proposal combining aid for Ukraine with border policy reforms would likely be split up.

Source: European Pravda, with reference to The Hill and Semafor

Details: The bill will be split up over concerns about the domestic border policy reforms.

The Hill reported that Johnson told a group of Baltic parliamentary speakers that the decision would ultimately depend on the exact content of the border bill after negotiations conclude in the Senate.

However, Johnson’s spokesman Raj Shah "downplayed the comments and said they were made in a hypothetical context," Semafor reported.

It is unclear whether the possible splitting up of the bill would mean a separate vote in the House of Representatives on all items, including the aid to Ukraine.

"Holding a standalone vote on military assistance for Kyiv could open up Johnson to criticism from lawmakers on the right who oppose further aid," Semafor said.

Background:

• During a press conference on 30 January, Mike Johnson denied that his position on the border security agreement with Mexico, which Republicans have linked to additional funding for Ukraine, was intended to help Donald Trump win the upcoming US presidential election.
• Johnson previously said in a letter that the Senate bill on the border and aid to Ukraine, as well as other countries, would not be approved in the House of Representatives if reports of its terms are true.
• Republican Representatives are demanding that the White House take decisive action to curb illegal immigration at the US-Mexico border.
• Disagreement over what measures should be taken has meant that a supplemental funding package that includes US$61 billion for Ukraine has been stalled in Congress.
• In early January, the White House said that the US had no money for further military aid for Ukraine until a new package by the US Congress was adopted.

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