Senate Republicans thwart an assistance bill for Israel and Ukraine

Senate Republicans have obstructed the passage of a package providing help to Ukraine, despite their efforts to obtain border concessions in return. The $110 billion (£87.3 billion) deal contained funding for Israel and relief for Gaza in addition to $61 billion for Ukraine. Republicans are certain that significant revisions to US immigration and refugee laws must precede any help to Ukraine. The US financial assistance to Ukraine may soon run out, the White House has warned. With 60 votes required to advance the bill, senators voted 51 to 49 against it. With only days until Congress's planned Christmas vacation, the vote casts doubt on the future of funding for Ukraine and forces legislators back to the negotiation table. Together with independent Senator Bernie Sanders, who had voiced concerns earlier in the day over the legislation's inclusion of billions in military funding for Israel, every single Republican senator voted against the plan.