Reuters: U.S. Senate introduces bipartisan bill with funding for Ukraine, House speaker says ‘dead on arrival’

The U.S. Senate has introduced a bipartisan bill that, if passed, would unlock funding for military aid to Ukraine, reports Reuters. The legislation proposes allocating $118 billion, including over $20 billion for U.S. border security, more than $60 billion for military aid to Ukraine, and over $14 billion for aid to Israel.

U.S. President Joe Biden has urged Congress to pass the bill as quickly as possible. However, House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said the bill would not be approved in its current form and would be “dead on arrival.”

“This bill is even worse than we expected, and won’t come close to ending the border catastrophe the president has created,” Johnson wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Since fall 2023, Congress has been unable to agree on funding requested by President Biden. Biden had asked for over $100 billion for military assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, and for U.S. border security.