Republicans set to block vote on Ukraine and Israel aid as they press for stricter border policies – US politics live

Tuesday was the day when it became crystal clear that neither side was backing down in the tangled negotiations over legislation, first proposed by Joe Biden, to green-light military assistance to Ukraine and Israel as well as spend money on border security.

Republican House speaker Mike Johnson started the day off with a letter to the White House insisting that the administration would have to agree to strict border policy changes – far beyond what Biden supports publicly – if any Ukraine aid legislation was to make it through his chamber. In the afternoon, senators were expected to hear from Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was going to appear by video conference at a briefing to the chamber. But Zelenskiy canceled for reasons that remain unclear, and as the Associated Press reports, Republicans left the meeting early when the Biden administration officials in attendance refused to discuss border security.

Here’s more on yesterday’s fiasco, from the AP:

Several Republican senators walked out of a classified briefing on Ukraine Tuesday as it descended into a row over the border crisis, after the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, unexpectedly canceled a video-link appearance to appeal for continued US funding.

Zelenskiy had been due to update the senators on the latest developments in the conflict with Russia and press for them to support a procedural vote expected on Wednesday on an emergency aid package that includes more than $60bn for Kyiv.

The cash has been held up for weeks in Congress, as the White House has warned that existing funds will run out by the end of the year and that Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, could win the war if lawmakers fail to act.

Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, announced that Zelenskiy had been prevented from taking part by a “last-minute” hiccup, but he pressed ahead with the briefing anyway – only for the proceedings to turn into a war of words.

Utah’s Mitt Romney left early, confirming that “a number” of his Republican colleagues had followed suit, angry that they had heard nothing on their demand that Ukraine aid be coupled with action on what they call the immigration crisis at the US-Mexico border.