Fears grow in Congress over Ukraine and Israel aid amid dispute over immigration and spending cuts

President Joe Biden made an urgent plea over the weekend for US support to bolster Ukraine and Israel at a time of war, saying the world faces “an inflection point” that could set the course for the next generation.

But on Capitol Hill, the prospects of any such aid package for the two countries appear as grim as ever.

“We may not have a supplemental,” Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, said matter-of-factly of the national security package stalled in Congress if an immigration dispute couldn’t be worked out.

Unlike other instances where Congress tends to quickly approve urgently needed aid, lawmakers in both parties are now openly questioning whether an emergency package for Israel and Ukraine can get done at all. The House and the Senate are badly split over whether to continue supporting  Ukraine – and now the intractable issue of immigration policy has been injected into the center of the talks.

Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer want to keep funding for the two countries in one big package – a position opposed by the new speaker, Mike Johnson, whose bill to provide only Israel with funding along with IRS cuts was quickly rejected by Senate Democrats. Johnson has continued to insist that any emergency package include spending cuts to offset its price tag, a complicated task to pull off and a demand rarely made by party leaders since doing so could bog down urgently needed funding.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Johnson insist that GOP support for more Ukraine funding is contingent on tightening immigration laws amid growing concerns about security at the border with Mexico. Yet finding an immigration deal that will satisfy House Republicans – and won’t cause a full-on revolt on the left – seems highly unlikely at best, lawmakers concede.

“I think it’s a triple bank shot to do…