The US Congress is returning from its winter break with pressing issues to address, including the approval of military aid for Ukraine and finding a compromise on immigration policies.

Search for Compromise on Ukraine Aid

The US government no longer has the funds to provide Ukraine with weapons and aid because Congress has not approved fresh funding. This impasse is now set to be resolved, but how?

Since the start of the Ukraine conflict nearly two years ago, US President Joe Biden has pledged that the US would stand by Ukraine as long as necessary. However, during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Washington in December, Biden’s words seemed slightly less confident. He stated that the US would continue to supply Ukraine with weapons as long as they could.

For months, the US President has been urging Congress to approve an additional $61 billion in military aid for Ukraine. However, many Republican members of Congress are against it. Negotiations could now receive a fresh boost as Congress returns from its winter break today.

Conservatives Set Conditions

The conservatives have tied the billions for Ukraine, as well as additional aid for Israel and the Indo-Pacific region, to conditions. Faced with record-high migration, they will only agree to the billions if US immigration rules are significantly tightened.

Senator James Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma, said on Fox News yesterday that national security takes priority. “We are engaged and helping the rest of the world. We are the model for freedom in the world. But we also have a responsibility to protect our own country, and we will do that.”

Republicans insist on strengthening border security and completing the wall. They also want more consistent deportations and stricter asylum procedures.

Search for Compromise on Immigration Policy

Lankford is part of a group of senators from both parties who have been trying for weeks to find a compromise solution on immigration policy that Republicans and Democrats can live with. He expressed hope that they could present a draft later this week during his Fox News interview.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, called the situation at the border a “disaster” during a visit last week. Never before in history have there been as many illegal border crossings as last month.

Indeed, the situation at the border with Mexico has worsened significantly since President Biden took office. More and more people want to enter the US. In 2021, approximately 1.9 million migrants attempted to cross the border, and in 2023, it was already over 3.2 million.

Republicans in the House of Representatives Must Agree

However, even if the Senate now reaches a compromise, it does not mean a green light for Ukraine aid. The compromise must also be approved by the Republican-dominated House of Representatives. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, remains optimistic. He said that if the Senate can achieve a bipartisan solution, it will exert enormous pressure on the House of Representatives to find a solution as well.

Ultraconservative Republicans in Congress had previously threatened a government shutdown if the Democrats did not agree to the stricter immigration rules. For now, a government shutdown seems to be off the table. Negotiators from both chambers of the US Congress announced yesterday that they have reached an agreement on a budget package.