 U.S. Senate blocks Ukraine funding, a spending package proposed by the White House that included over $60 billion in funding for Kiev failed to pass in the Senate, falling short of the 60 votes necessary to proceed. The final vote was 59 in favour and 51 against. The Republican opposition voted against the bill alongside Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who normally votes with the Democrats. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, also voted no so he could bring the bill up again at a later date, according to The Hill. The White House originally requested $105 billion in emergency supplemental national security funding in October, choosing to bundle the aid to Ukraine with money for Israel, Taiwan and border security in order to appeal to Republicans. The GOP majority house has insisted on dealing with each issue in a separate appropriations bill, which the Democrat-dominated Senate refused. Earlier, President Joe Biden urged the Senate to approve the bill, accusing Republicans of wanting to literally kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield and damage our national security in the process and holding the funding for Kiev hostage to border policy. Literally, the entire world is watching. What will the U.S. do? Biden told reporters, suggesting that without American leadership, the G7, the EU and Japan might not continue backing Kiev, effectively delivering a victory to Russian President Vladimir Putin.