The White House and congressional backers of Ukraine are fighting to save billions of dollars of funding for Kyiv in looming US budget negotiations, after House Republicans moved to only support Israel with extra aid.
US president Joe Biden last month asked Congress to approve $106bn in new funds for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific region, as well as border security and humanitarian assistance — all in a large package designed to tackle America’s top foreign policy priorities.
That plan is supported by most Democrats and crucial Republican national security hawks, particularly in the Senate. But House Republicans, serving under the new Speaker Mike Johnson, have balked at Biden’s plans, with rank-and-file lawmakers embracing former president Donald Trump’s more isolationist views on foreign policy.