As the Congress returned to work on Monday, there was a lot of general agreement on the need to approve legislation to aid Ukraine in the wake of Russia's annexation of Crimea, but a deal between the House and Senate on how to achieve that remained elusive.
"Ukraine needs this money," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, as he opened work in the Senate on a plan that funnels $150 million in aid to that country, along with up to $1 billion in loan guarantees.
"When we look around the world we realize that, every so often, we face a critical juncture at a time of great upheaval and change," said Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), one of the six lawmakers sanctioned by Russia last week in a tit for tat over Ukraine.
The Senate voted 78-17 to start work on the Ukraine bill, with all 17 'No' votes coming from Republicans; but it wasn't immediately clear how fast the Senate might act on the plan because of GOP concerns over one provision that would help steer money to the International Monetary Fund.
Here was the list of Senators who voted against starting work on the Ukraine aid bill, along with the five absentees on Monday:
'No' on shutting off debate on motion to start work on the Ukraine aid bill - Barrasso R-WY, Boozman R-AR, Coburn R-OK, Cochran R-MS, Crapo R-ID, Cruz R-TX, Enzi R-WY, Heller R-NV, Lee R-UT, Moran R-KS, Paul R-KY, Risch R-ID, Roberts R-KS, Scott R-SC, Sessions R-AL, Shelby R-AL and Wicker R-MS.
Those Senators who missed the vote: Cantwell D-WA, Chambliss R-GA, Kirk R-IL, Landrieu D-LA and McCaskill D-MO.
In the House on Tuesday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will move forward with a bill that is similar to the Senate plan, but omits the IMF funding issue - it has bipartisan backing from the top Republican and top Democrat on that panel.
"Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and intimidation of Ukraine should be a wakeup call," said Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), whose bill includes both support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia.
While the Senate bill envisions $150 million in aid apart from the loan guarantees, the House plan is at $68 million, which includes money to bolster international broadcasts by the U.S. to Ukraine and surrounding nations via Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty and the Voice of America.
Click here for a rundown of the House bill.
This next link is to the Congressional Budget Office report on the Senate Ukraine bill - it shows that the plan would increase the federal deficit by $320 million over ten years.
If you really want to enjoy reading about legislation and how the cost is tabulated, go through that CBO report on the Ukraine aid bill.
It will make your head spin to see how you can come up with the final number for how much would be spent on the Ukraine aid legislation.
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