New US aid for Ukraine and Israel will be difficult to pass before the end of the year, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner said, while Congress remains at odds over proposed changes to securing the southern border.
“Congress is going to require that there’ll be laws changed to make certain that the border returns to its prior state,” the Ohio Republican said on NBC’s Meet the Press. That could include restricting the entry of asylum seekers across the Mexican border and other provisions to secure it, he said.
Congressional Republicans are seeking to link their approval for the foreign military assistance to stricter border policies after President Joe Biden signed a stopgap bill that extended US government funding into early next year.
“I think it would be very difficult to get it done by the end of the year and the impediment, currently, is the White House policy on the southern border,” Turner said.
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Congress is returning to work this week with legislation for Israel and Ukraine on the agenda. Further complications would raise questions on whether Washington will continue to provide its allies with resources and weaponry.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a letter to colleagues that he plans to bring the national security package requested by the White House to the floor “as soon as December 4th.”
Providing aid to Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific is “one of the most important tasks” to finish before year’s end, Schumer said, citing the need for “necessary military capabilities to confront and deter our adversaries and competitors.”
The New York Democrat also said it’s “critical” for Congress to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinian citizens.
The White House has requested roughly $4 billion in emergency funding to boost resources at the US border and counter the flow of fentanyl. Turner said that proposal lacks policy changes sought by conservatives.
“In return for providing additional funding for Ukraine, we have to have significant and substantial reforms to our border policy,” Senator Tom Cotton said on Fox News Sunday. Asylum and parole changes are among top policy concerns for conservatives, he said.
(Updates to include comments from Senator Schumer starting in the 6th paragraph.)
