Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Washington on Tuesday, looking to speed up Congressional approval of U.S. aid to his beleaguered country. Zelenskyy can read the papers as well as anyone and knows that whatever "blank check" he might have thought he had at the beginning of the war is going up in smoke as growing sentiment in Congress against an open-ended commitment by the U.S. takes hold.
Republicans are using the $61 billion aid package to Ukraine as a means to pressure Joe Biden into making a deal on border security. Indeed, Republicans want to revolutionize the asylum process, making it harder for those who show up at the border to claim they're in danger if they go back to their home countries.
Some of the changes to asylum policy offered by Biden are remarkable.
- The White House would support far-reaching legal authority for border officials to reject asylum claims and expel the migrants summarily. The new rule would effectively revive the Trump-era Title 42 pandemic order that allowed border officials to act with no public health justification.
- The administration would also back the process known as "expedited removal" nationwide which allows immigration officials to deport migrants without a hearing. Taking the program national is a huge concession by Biden. It will allow ICE to deport any illegal anywhere if they haven't filed for asylum or if their initial asylum claim failed.
- There will also be detention at the border for some illegals, criteria to be determined.
Administration officials and some Senate Democrats have also previously indicated a willingness to raise the initial screening standard for so-called credible fear interviews that migrants have to pass to avoid being deported under expedited removal.
In a statement, White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández said the administration did not have "determined policy positions" in the congressional negotiations.
"The White House has not signed off on any particular policy proposals or final agreements, and reporting that ascribes determined policy positions to the White House is inaccurate," Fernández Hernández said. "The President has said he is open to compromise and we look forward to continued conversations with Senate negotiators as we work toward a bipartisan package."
The big question facing Speaker Johnson and Joe Biden is can the two sides cobble together enough support in the House and the Senate to pass Ukraine aid and a border security measure?
Zelensky ran into a stone wall during his visit with members of Congress. One prominent lawmaker, Senator J.D. Vance, reportedly walked out on Zelensky during his pep talk.
Related: J.D. Vance and the Ukraine Realist Lobby
Other anti-Ukraine aid Republicans were unmoved by Zelensky's pleas to pass the aid bill. This led to a radical change in U.S. rhetoric supporting Ukraine. Previously, Biden had indicated that the U.S. would support Ukraine “as long as it takes.” On Tuesday during his press conference with Zelesky, he said that the United States would support Ukraine "as long as we can."
Earlier in the day, Zelensky told senators that he’s still counting on US support to come through for his nation, according to Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut.
The questions from senators were mostly about accountability for US aid and Zelensky tried to assure senators that no money would be used corruptly in Ukraine, according to GOP Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota.
In a social media post following the meeting, Zelensky described the conversation as “friendly and candid” and thanked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell “for their personal leadership in rallying bipartisan support for Ukraine among U.S. legislators.”
Following his meeting with Zelenskyy, Speaker Johnson made it clear that no aid would be going to Ukraine without a border deal and Ukraine providing additional oversight of U.S. funds.
Speaker Mike Johnson said he had a good meeting with President Zelesnky but made clear Republicans would not support additional aid without first making changes at the US-Mexico border and providing additional oversight on the use of US funds in Ukraine pic.twitter.com/bvEDRLsqS7
— Robert Jimison (@RobertJimison) December 12, 2023
During the meeting with lawmakers, Zelesnkyy tried to reassure members of Congress that no monies sent by the U.S. would be used corruptly. That's nonsense. Zelenskyy can't make that kind of assurance; no one in Ukraine can. It's more evidence that Biden is not being careful with the public's money and that Congress needs to step up and start accounting for where the cash has been going.
