Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will arrive on Capitol Hill to a darker mood than when he swooped in last winter for a hero’s welcome, as the Russian invasion is grinding into a third year and U.S. funding hangs in balance.

Zelenskyy’s visit Tuesday comes as President Joe Biden’s request for an additional $110 billion U.S. aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security needs is at serious risk of collapse in Congress. Republicans are insisting on strict U.S.-Mexico border security changes that Democrats decry as draconian in exchange for the overseas aid.

“It is maddening,” said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a close ally of Biden, of the stalemate. “A very bad message to the world, to the Ukrainian people.”

  • @jballs
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    307 months ago

    Republicans are insisting on linking it [the aid package] to strict U.S.-Mexico border security changes

    I’m confused here. Trump ran on a platform of building the wall. They promoted all these stories about the wall being built and how it was the greatest wall ever. Steve Bannon raised a bunch of money privately for his We Build the Wall plan to build more wall.

    So why are Republicans now claiming there’s a crisis at the border with migrants pouring in unchecked? Are they saying that Trump is incompetent and didn’t actually solve a problem he campaigned on? Are they suggesting Bannon is a grifter and scam artist? Or is this just a made up problem that they want to campaign on indefinitely?

    • @[email protected]
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      167 months ago

      Are they saying that Trump is incompetent and didn’t actually solve a problem he campaigned on? Are they suggesting Bannon is a grifter and scam artist? Or is this just a made up problem that they want to campaign on indefinitely?

      Woah woah, expecting any of them to have two consecutive thoughts that are consistent with each other is way too high a bar for this crowd.

      A new reality begins with each sentence in the modern GOP.

    • @[email protected]
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      97 months ago

      An election is coming up and they want to whip the racist members of their base into a panic.

      “You don’t need healthcare, you need a big stupid wall that does nothing because Mexicans.”