President Biden’s age- and issues-based political problems are in the spotlight this week as former President Trump, juggling legal travails,strives to sway Congress, voters, NATO and the policy priorities swirling in world capitals.
Working overtime during the weekend, the Senate refused to give up on bolstering Ukraine, voting 67-27 Sunday to move another step toward approving a $95.3 billion measure to assist Kyiv’s battle with Russia, plus provide aid to Israel and Taiwan.
The Senate days ago ran aground while trying to vote on the specifics of a bipartisan border security proposal that was packaged with spending for U.S. allies, a deal that Trump said he opposes.
As a fallback, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) turned instead to colleagues on both sides of the aisle who want the U.S. to help Ukraine with arms and ammunition and to show solidarity with Israel while also backing humanitarian aid in the Middle East. The resulting measure could come to a final Senate vote this week (CNN).
Because of Trump’s opposition, House Republicans are in disarray over whether to vote on proposed migration and other border restrictions and whether and how to back Israel while separately arguing that U.S. help for Ukraine must hinge on greater accountability in Kyiv when it comes to how the U.S. aid is spent.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a Ukraine supporter who days ago was publicly rebuked by some GOP hardliners for opening the door to a border accord with Democrats, pulled a victory Sunday from defeat last week, rallying the 17 Republican votes needed to advance the Senate’s fallback national security bill (The Wall Street Journal).
Kyiv views the money as crucial at a time when Ukraine’s war-weary fighters are poised to mark the second year since Russia’s invasion.
Meanwhile, The Hill’s Aris Folley reports on the seemingly never-ending House skirmishes over appropriations for the fiscal year that began in October. Ahead of March deadlines to keep the government operating, disagreements look ominous. House Republicans and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), whose legislative misfires last week seriously dented his reputation for steering Republicans’ narrow majority, are divided.
The Hill: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Sunday called the border crisis a “broken system.” Johnson says the House will vote again to try to impeach the secretary.
