Republicans in Congress suffered a humiliating collection of setbacks on Tuesday on essential parts of their agenda, turning the Capitol right into a den of dysfunction that has left a number of main points, together with U.S. army assist to Ukraine and Israel, in limbo amid political feuding.
As Republicans within the Senate torpedoed a border deal they’d demanded, the bid by their counterparts within the Home to question Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland safety secretary, collapsed amid Republican defections.
Then got here one final bruising blow. Minutes after Republicans fell one vote wanting impeaching Mr. Mayorkas — a punishment the occasion has promised its base ever since profitable the bulk — the Home defeated laws they put ahead to ship $17.6 billion in army help to Israel. The measure fell to opposition from Democrats who known as it a cynical political ploy to undermine efforts to move a broader international army assist invoice together with Ukraine. They had been joined by a clutch of hard-right Republicans, who opposed the measure as a result of the cash was not paired with spending cuts.
Taken collectively, the occasions that unfolded on Capitol Hill on Tuesday supplied a vivid portrait of congressional disarray instigated by Republicans, who’re bent on opposing President Biden at each flip however lack a big sufficient majority or the unity to work their will.
They’ve sought to kill bipartisan efforts to ship extra army assist to Ukraine and to forge a compromise to safe the border towards an inflow of migrants, proposing as a substitute to assist Israel solely and to push for the elimination of Mr. Biden’s high immigration official. The back-to-back defeats on Tuesday confirmed that whereas they’re adept at thwarting motion on essential points, they’re hard-pressed to deal with any.
The paralysis left the destiny of assist to Ukraine and Israel in peril, closing off what had been seen as the most effective remaining avenue on Capitol Hill for approval of essential army help to American allies. A broad measure that features each is predicted to fail in a Senate take a look at vote on Wednesday, elevating rapid questions on whether or not Congress may salvage the emergency assist package deal — and if that’s the case, how.
Kayla Guo and Luke Broadwater contributed reporting.
