Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, Mike Johnson, threatens the administration of US President Joe Biden to withdraw support for the military aid package to Ukraine if the White House does not agree to finance the strengthening of the border with Mexico.
What is known about the critical situation in the negotiations between Congress and the White House regarding aid to Ukraine
It is noted that Johnson sent a letter to Shalanda Young, director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (a division of the Executive Office of the U.S. President).
Additional financing of Ukraine depends on the adoption of changes in the laws on border security of our country, the Speaker of the House of Representatives notes.
Johnson says the U.S. border with Mexico is supposed to remain open for now, calling it an "unthinkable and unacceptable disaster."
He demands, in his words, "an immediate end to this madness."
The Biden administration is ignoring reality, preferring instead to engage in political posturing instead of engaging with Republicans in Congress and discussing logical reforms. We are ready and willing to work with the administration on a reliable package of border protection measures that will protect the interests of the American people, the Speaker of the House of Representatives emphasizes.
He also mentioned the Border Security Act but did not specifically explain its required measures.
The document involves building a wall on the border with Mexico and restricting the ability of asylum seekers to stay in the United States. These are proposals opposed by Democrats and the administration of President Joe Biden.
Why does the Congress associate aid to Ukraine and Israel with border security
According to the information of the publication "Voice of America" concerning representatives of the Democratic and Republican parties, the Republicans are trying to put pressure on the White House, demanding to strengthen the migration legislation with the decision to combine issues related to military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with the need to strengthen the borders.
Jim Costa, a Democrat congressman from the state of California, noted that there is nothing unusual in that to approve a particular bill, it is attached to another.
This is one of the ways political parties influence each other to achieve their goals. And frankly, I think we need to improve our border security. We have more than 200,000 illegal immigrants in the last year alone, Costa emphasized.
Democratic congressman from Illinois Brad Schneider claims that both bills aim to protect the sovereignty and borders of both states. He noted, "Just as Ukraine is fighting for the protection of its independence and sovereignty, it is in the interests of the United States to ensure that Ukraine's border is safe."
According to Michael McCall, a Republican congressman from the state of Texas and the foreign affairs committee chairman, helping Ukraine in tandem with strengthening the U.S. border will explain to ordinary Americans that supporting partners does not prevent them from solving their problems simultaneously.
This is a kind of compromise. If we can get a strong package to secure our border, that will help send a signal to our people here that we can do both. There is no "either-or" choice here, we can not only protect our border, but also protect Ukraine, McCall explains.
