Key events
Ukraine and Israel aid under threat as immigration bill faces stiff opposition
Good morning, US politics blog readers. The Senate over the weekend released the text of its long-awaited proposal to enact strict immigration policy measures meant to discourage migrants from crossing the southern border. Republicans have demanded passage of the legislation in exchange for their votes for another round of military aid to Ukraine, as well as Israel. But the proposal wasn’t enough for many in the GOP, most significantly House speaker Mike Johnson, who declared the legislation “dead on arrival”. Several Democrats are also objecting to measures in the bill that would essentially turn away migrants, raising questions about whether it has enough support in either chamber to pass.
If the bill dies, it’s unclear how Congress will find agreement on providing military aid to two of America’s biggest national security priorities, particularly Ukraine, whose cause far-right lawmakers have turned against. While Joe Biden has argued the two countries’ causes are linked, Johnson vowed over the weekend to hold a vote on a stand-alone aid package for Israel – a prospect Biden and the Democrats rejected as insufficient. The deadlock raises the prospect that neither country will receive the US military assistance they argue they need, at least not anytime soon.
Here’s what else is going on today:
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Campaigning is picking up in the New York City suburbs, ahead of the 13 February special election to replace expelled Republican congressman George Santos. Democrats hope former House lawmaker Tom Suozzi can win the seat back, while the GOP is backing their candidate Mazi Pilip.
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Primary season continues this week, though without many surprises expected. After Biden won South Carolina’s Democratic primary on Saturday, Donald Trump is expected to triumph in Thursday’s Republican caucuses in Nevada.
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Antony Blinken is on another tour of the Middle East as the Biden administration faces the prospect of a widening regional conflict. Follow our live blog for more.