By Makini Brice and Katharine Jackson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Leaders of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday said a deal to provide additional aid to Ukraine and bolster U.S. border security was not likely to come together soon, with one senior Democrat saying that action would probably be postponed until January.
Republican and Democratic negotiators have been working to pass a funding package before leaving town for a year-end holiday break. Senator Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat, said that was not likely.
“I hope that they’re going to prepare the text and sit down and roll up their sleeves and finish up as soon as we get back in January,” he told reporters.
The chamber’s top Democrat and Republican said the talks were productive but would not be complete any time soon.
“Everyone understands that we have more work to do, and that’s going to take more time,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor.
Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said those involved were “making slow and steady progress.”
The White House has warned that by the end of the year U.S. aid will run out to help Ukraine retake territory occupied by Russia since the 2022 invasion.
aqThe Biden administration’s request for another $61 billion in support has been bogged down in Congress, where Republicans say it must be paired with tougher immigration controls along the U.S.-Mexico border. Funding for Israel, another element of the package, is less controversial.
Immigration is one of the most divisive issues in U.S. politics and bipartisan reform attempts have repeatedly failed over the past 20 years.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy faced a skeptical reception from Republicans when he visited Washington last week to drum up support.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives has already left town and it is unclear whether it would return if the Democratic-controlled Senate passes a funding package.
Lawmakers could find it harder to reach a deal in January, when the state-by-state 2024 Republican presidential nominating contest gets underway and they also face a deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown.
The leading Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump, is calling for a sharp crackdown on immigration and has said that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country,” echoing Nazi rhetoric.
(Additional reporting by Richard Cowan and Patricia Zengerle; Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)
