Senate Ends 2024 Without Deal on Ukraine or Border
The Senate concluded its work for the year on Wednesday without reaching an agreement on Ukraine funding or border security.
Senators are not scheduled to return to Washington until Jan. 8 after the holiday recess.
Senate adjourns until 2024 without deal on Ukraine, border security https://t.co/LBsIiZ7wkz pic.twitter.com/lYRjpmyrQA
— The Hill (@thehill) December 20, 2023
A group of Senate and White House negotiators plans to conduct virtual meetings over the Christmas and New Year’s break to discuss an emergency foreign aid package.
Congress is not expected to vote on any measures until next month. The Republican-controlled House left town for the Christmas break last week.
The departure of both chambers marks the end of what is considered the most unproductive legislative session in the past 30 years, with only 27 bills passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) attributed the lack of accomplishments to the influence of former President Trump over the Republican-controlled House.
In his year-end floor remarks, Schumer criticized the chaos, extremism, and paralysis witnessed under a Republican House majority in 2023, making legislating challenging.
Despite the challenges, Schumer noted a positive outcome in confirming over 300 nonpolitical military promotions that Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) had previously held up on the floor. Schumer expressed hope that such political maneuvers involving military officers and their families would not recur.
On Tuesday night, Schumer managed to confirm, by unanimous consent, the last 11 remaining four-star generals held up by Tuberville.
Schumer urged colleagues not to abandon the negotiations for an emergency foreign aid package, emphasizing its importance, including over $61 billion in military aid for Ukraine.
After a more active legislative period in 2021 and 2022, Congress' pace of legislative activity plummeted in the current year under divided control of the Senate and House as lawmakers from both parties remain in gridlock ahead of the 2024 elections.
