Wider US division on aid to Ukraine, Israel amid partisan struggles before election

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The US is entangled in deepened partisan divisions as it is running out of aid for Ukraine while facing growing international pressure on the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip after Israel renewed its offensive. Some experts said on Wednesday that as both wars continue, those crises will not only become a heavy financial burden on Washington but also serve as a tool for partisan struggles as the elections loom. 

A classified briefing for senators on the White House's request for aid for Israel and Ukraine became "heated" on Tuesday local time, with Republican members storming out of the meeting, NBC News reported. 

The briefing, led by the secretaries of defense and state, as well as the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was held behind closed doors to allow all 100 senators to ask questions about the administration's funding request, according to the reports.

But it fell apart, senators from both parties said, after Republicans began asking about the US border. GOP members in both chambers have demanded serious changes to immigration policy to address rising migrant crossings in exchange for passing new aid for Ukraine, NBC News reported. 

White House officials warned on Monday that the US is running out of time and money to help Ukraine, after the Biden administration urged Congress to approve the nearly $106 billion request for funds in October, with Chinese experts believing that this shows that the Ukraine issue has become a tool for domestic politicization in the US, and internal divisions in the country have intensified as the election approaches.

In a letter to House and Senate leaders and released publicly, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young warned the US will run out of funding to send weapons and assistance to Ukraine by the end of this year, adding that this would "kneecap" Ukraine on the battlefield, the AP reported on Tuesday.

According to Reuters, US President Joe Biden's administration in October asked Congress for nearly $106 billion request for funds for the wars in Ukraine, Israel and other security needs, but Republicans who control the House with a slim majority rejected the package.

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