Republicans in the US Senate, on Wednesday (Feb 7) rejected the $118 billion bipartisan bill which combined an overhaul of the country’s immigration policy and security measures at its border with Mexico with a foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel.
What happened?
The bill failed to garner the minimum 60 votes needed for it to move forward in the US Senate and was defeated by a vote of 49-50, largely along party lines.
This comes as the Senate Republicans were expected to block the bill amid opposition and pressure from former US President Donald Trump and members of their own party in the House of Representatives.
The vote took place on the $118 billion bill, which includes aid for both Israel and Ukraine but is also tied to strict US immigration curbs demanded by the Republicans.
However, many Republicans promptly rejected the package when it was released on Sunday (Feb 4) even though it included some of their demands.
The rejection reportedly came after Trump ramped up pressure on Republican lawmakers to reject any compromise on the package as he campaigns to defeat Democratic President Joe Biden in the upcoming presidential election.
“Some have been very clear with me they have political differences with the bill,” said Republican Senator James Lankford, one of the negotiators of the bill. He added, “They say it’s the wrong time to solve the problem, let the presidential election solve the problem.”
Meanwhile, Independent Senator from the US state of Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema, one of the authors of the deal, said she was baffled by the sudden shift. She told the chamber that the Republican abandonment of efforts to pass immigration reform was “shameful”.
What now?
The Senate is now looking to vote on a $96 billion package that excludes the immigration provisions but keeps foreign aid intact.
This comes after the Senate Majority Leader and Democrat Chuck Schumer said that they would hold another procedural vote later on Wednesday on the watered-down version of the foreign aid package, which includes funds for Ukraine and Israel but not for border security.
The $95.34 billion spending bill includes security assistance for Ukraine ($60.06 billion) and Israel ($14.1 billion), international humanitarian aid ($9.15 billion) and resources to help allies in the Indo-Pacific ($4.83 billion), including Taiwan.
The bill would also allocate $2.44 billion to the Pentagon for operations around the Red Sea, where the US forces have sought to stop attacks on shipping by the Iran-backed Yemen-based Houthi rebels.
(With inputs from agencies)
