McConnell says foreign aid deal ‘practically impossible’ before holidays
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that a congressional deal providing tens of billions of dollars in new foreign aid to Ukraine is “practically impossible” before the end of the year.
McConnell’s comments were delivered to reporters on Capitol Hill after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who personally appealed for the money as his country nears two years of war against Russia.
“It’s practically impossible ... to craft it, get it through the Senate, get it through the House before Christmas,” McConnell said, referencing Speaker Mike Johnson’s apparent plan to adjourn the House at the end of this week.
“That doesn’t mean it’s not important,” McConnell continued. “And even though we’ve been emphasizing the border, I want to remind everybody of the importance of Ukraine.”
Senate Republicans have preconditioned a $110 billion foreign aid package – nearly half of which is earmarked for Ukraine’s fight against Russia – on making meaningful changes to securing the southern border.
McConnell told Senate Republicans during a luncheon that talks on the details of a compromise would need to be rejoined in January.
But he told reporters that he’s personally encouraged President Joe Biden to get directly involved in the negotiations.
“Don’t just punt the ball up to Senate Democrats, they may never get there,” McConnell said he told Biden. “We all know he’s the only one who can sign a bill into law. Without him, there is no deal.”
In speaking with Biden’s chief of staff, Jeff Zients, McConnell said he received some impression that the administration was ready to take a more hands-on approach to the stalled talks on Capitol Hill.
Last Thursday, in the wake of a failed Senate vote on the package, the president expressed a fresh willingness to negotiate on border provisions.
But the Republican House may still be a barrier. Johnson has been much cooler than McConnell on the urgency of providing aid to Ukraine.
McConnell called Zelensky “inspirational” and was seen cracking a rare smile as he flanked the Ukrainian president alongside Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer ahead of their meeting.
