Yea….
Maybe?
House Speaker Johnson won’t get the IRS he wants attached to the bill……
“We have some negotiations that are going on in earnest. In fact, I was on the flight before we landed texting back and forth with Senate colleagues and others who are working on the negotiation,” Johnson said during a Monday event in Florida when asked about the supplemental funding package.
The Speaker has long said, however, that Israel and Ukraine funding should be separated — and called on the Senate to take up a House-passed bill that tied aid to Israel with funding cuts to the IRS.
“Listen, Israel is a top priority for the United States, and supporting our ally there is critical. It’s one of the first things we did. … It’s been sitting on this in the Senate and on Chuck Schumer’s desk. And so we are encouraging him to get that done,” Johnson said.
Schumer has rejected the House-passed bill.
Johnson also expressed support for passing a Ukraine funding measure that includes changes to U.S. border policy…..
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The Senate internals on the Ukraine/Israeli Aid….
Senate Foreign Relations Chair Ben Cardin said Monday he does not support placing conditions on U.S. aid to Israel amid its ongoing battle against Hamas, a wedge issue that’s divided congressional Democrats.
“I don’t think there’s a need for conditionality,” Cardin (D-Md.) told reporters, acknowledging “war is horrible” amid thousands of civilian casualties.
Cardin, who’s retiring following this term, also said he would not support pursuing a permanent ceasefire in the conflict beyond the days-long pause in fighting currently underway….
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Republicans say they are unwilling to pass a massive supplemental spending bill to aid Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan without big border changes. That’s led to a new round of border talks among Tillis and Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.).
Tillis said negotiators in both parties are zeroing in on an agreement to raise the standard for asylum claims — a move that could reduce flows of people across the southern border — and called it “good progress” in the tricky talks. But he warned that if “you don’t make progress on parole … it’s not enough.”
“It’s not like the Democrats are completely against it, but drafting it and getting something that makes sense and satisfies Republicans is difficult,” Tillis said.
Democratic leaders say they are open to the border talks but also warned Republicans about taking too hard a line…..