The Senators of the Republican Party blocked an emergency spending bill on Wednesday to provide billions of dollars to Ukraine and Israel. The vote threatened US President Joe Biden’s aim to provide new aid before the end of 2023. He had warned Congress earlier that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not stop with victory in Ukraine and could even attack a NATO nation, as per news agency AFP.
This comes as Republicans pressed their demands for tougher measures to control immigration at the U.S. border with Mexico, as reported by news agency Reuters.
According to AFP, the package would include roughly $60 billion to help Ukraine keep up pressure on Russia during the winter months, around $10 billion for Israel in its conflict with Hamas militants, and some aid for Taiwan. The vote was 49 in favour to 51 against, leaving the bill short of the 60 votes required in the 100-member Senate for the debate to start, as per Reuters.