Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ended his high-stakes day in Washington, D.C., Tuesday with little progress on securing additional war funding. President Biden vowed the U.S. would support Ukraine “as long as we can” and urged Congress to pass his spending request of over $100 billion, which also includes funding for Israel and Taiwan and further militarization of the U.S. border.
President Joe Biden: “Congress needs to pass the supplemental funding for Ukraine before they break for holiday recess, before they give Putin the greatest Christmas present they could possibly give him.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson has tied continued Ukraine aid to hard-line border requests that have been rejected by Democrats. But reports have emerged that the Biden administration is considering yielding to Republican demands in exchange for the funding. These include expanded immigration detention and deportations, and a new border authority to expel migrants without due process.
Meanwhile, House Republicans are expected to vote today on a resolution to formalize an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.