Sanders opposes! Israel and Ukraine aid blocked for Biden in the Senate
A vote on US President Joe Biden's $105 billion budget request, which includes aid for Israel and Ukraine, has been rejected in the Senate. Bernie Sanders, who usually votes with the Democrats, cast a 'no' vote due to the aid provided to Israel.
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US President Joe Biden's $105 billion budget request, which includes aid for Israel and Ukraine, has been rejected in the Senate.
In a procedural vote held in the US Senate to determine whether the budget request would be brought to the floor, independent Senator Bernie Sanders, along with many Republicans, cast a "no" vote.
While 60 votes were required to bring the bill to a vote, 49 senators voted "no" and 51 senators voted "yes."
CRITICISM OF ISRAEL FROM SANDERS
Sanders, who usually acts with the Democrats but sided with the Republicans in this vote, stated that the reason for his rejection was the aid to be provided to Israel.
In a written statement, Sanders expressed his opposition to providing billions of dollars unconditionally to the Netanyahu administration, saying, "Israel absolutely has the right to defend itself against Hamas, which launched an attack on October 7. However, it has no legal or moral right to kill thousands of innocent Palestinian men, women, and children."
Republican senators, meanwhile, opposed the planned aid to Ukraine on the grounds that the bill did not meet their demands for changes to immigration policy.
Experts commented that the future of the bill has been "dragged into uncertainty."
SHARP REACTION FROM BIDEN
On the other hand, US President Joe Biden, in a written statement issued before the vote, criticized the move, saying, "Extreme Republicans are playing dangerous games with our national security. They are holding funding for Ukraine hostage to fund extreme (Mexican) border policies."
Stating that they always need "real solutions," Biden added, "Likewise, real solutions are needed at the Mexican border."
UKRAINE CRISIS
While intense debates continue in the US Congress regarding aid to Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy canceled a briefing he was scheduled to give to Senate members on December 5 at the last minute, and did not provide a clear explanation for the decision.
US President Joe Biden had requested a $105 billion budget, which included $14 billion for Israel and $61 billion for Ukraine.
However, Republicans in the US Congress, led by those in the Senate, oppose approving this budget unless the regulations they want, primarily changes to immigration policy, are implemented.
The White House and some Ukrainian officials warn that the war with Russia could be lost without US aid to Ukraine.