The Senate passed a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan early Tuesday, pushing forward after months of difficult negotiations and amid deepening political divisions within the Republican Party over the United States’ role abroad. Ta.
The vote comes after a small group of Republicans opposed to sending $60 billion to Ukraine held the Senate floor overnight, using the final hours of debate to argue that the United States should withdraw funds from its own country before sending more money abroad. This was done after insisting that the focus should be on the issue. But supporters argue that abandoning Ukraine could embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin and threaten national security around the world, with 22 Republicans voting 70-29, along with nearly all Democrats. voted to pass the bill.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who worked closely with Republican leader Mitch McConnell on the bill, said: “With this bill, the Senate declares that American leadership will not abandon, will not flinch, and will not fail. ” he said.
The Senate’s passage of the bill was a welcome sign for Ukraine amid critical shortages on the battlefield.
But the bill faces a very uncertain future in the House, where hardline Republicans aligned with former President Donald Trump, a front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination and critical of his support for Ukraine, oppose the bill. are doing.
House Speaker Mike Johnson raised new questions about the bill in a statement Monday night, saying it could take weeks or months, if ever, for Congress to send the bill to President Joe Biden’s desk. It was revealed that there is a gender.
Still, the vote was a victory for both Senate leadership. Mr. Schumer pointed to strong bipartisan support and predicted that if the speaker introduced the measure, it would receive similar strong support in that chamber. Mr. McConnell has made Ukraine a top priority in recent months, standing firm against considerable opposition from his own Republican conference.
“History tells us everything,” the longtime Republican leader said in a statement after the bill passed. “And today, history will record that the Senate did not blink an eye when it came to the values of American leadership and strength.”
The dollars provided by the bill would help authorities buy U.S.-made defense equipment, including munitions and air defense systems, which are desperately needed in the face of a Russian attack. It also includes $8 billion and other aid to the Kiev government.
“For us in Ukraine, the continued support of the United States will help save lives from Russian terrorism,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on social media. “It means life in our cities continues and we win the war.”
Additionally, the bill would provide $14 billion for Israel’s war against Hamas, $8 billion for Taiwan and partners in the Indo-Pacific region fighting China, and $9.2 billion for humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
Progressive lawmakers oppose sending assault weapons to Israel, including two Democrats, Sens. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Peter Welch of Vermont, and independent Bernie of Vermont. -Senator Sanders voted against the bill.
“I cannot in good conscience support Prime Minister Netanyahu’s spending billions more in taxpayer dollars on his military campaign in Gaza,” Welch said. “This was an operation that caused an alarming number of civilian casualties. It created a massive humanitarian crisis.”
The passage of the bill comes after nearly five months of tough negotiations over an expansion bill that combines foreign aid with overhauls of border and asylum policies. Republicans called for a tradeoff, citing the need to address the surge in immigration to the United States while also protecting the security of allies.
But the bipartisan agreement on border security fell apart just days after it was announced, leaving negotiators deeply dissatisfied with the dizzying turn of events. Republicans argued the bill was insufficient and blocked it from advancing on the Senate floor.
After the border bill failed, both leaders abandoned the border provision and pushed to pass the foreign aid package alone, as Democrats had originally intended.
The slimmed-down foreign aid bill ultimately won healthy Republican support, although several Republicans who had previously expressed support for Ukraine voted against it. The episode further exposed divisions within the party, which were pursued by President Trump and made even more public as a handful of lawmakers publicly called for McConnell’s resignation.
Sen. J.D. Vance, Republican of Ohio, argued that the United States should withdraw from the conflict and help mediate an end to it with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He questioned the wisdom of continuing to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses after Putin has appeared to be preoccupied with the fight for years.
“I think this deals with the reality that we live in, which is that they are the more powerful country and their region in the world,” he said.
Vance spent several hours on the floor railing against the aid with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and other opponents, complaining about Senate procedures. They spoke on the floor until dawn, desperate to delay the final vote.
Aid advocates pushed back, warning that bowing to Russia would be a historic mistake with devastating consequences. In an unusually heated exchange, Republican senators supporting the aid directly challenged some of their opponents on the floor.
Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina angrily disputed some of their claims, saying the money would support Ukraine for less than a year and that much of it would go toward replenishing U.S. military stockpiles. It pointed out.
“Why am I paying so much attention to this vote?” Tillis said. “Because we don’t want to be on the pages of history that we’ll regret when we walk away. We’re going to see the alliance that’s supporting Ukraine fall apart. And I’m not going to be part of that page of history.”
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) became emotional as he talked about the drudgery of the Senate job and the time away from his family that leaves him doing little. “But every once in a while, a problem presents itself that explains why we are here,” he said, his voice shaking.
Moran acknowledged that the cost of the package was heavy for him, but noted that if Putin were to attack a European NATO member, the treaty would put the United States directly involved in the conflict. This is a promise that President Trump has requested. He is seeking another term in the White House, but has doubts about the question.
At Saturday’s rally, President Trump once said he would encourage NATO members to “do whatever they want” to Russia against members that have “failed” in their commitments to the alliance. he said. The former president has led his party away from foreign policy principles of active American engagement abroad and toward “America first” isolationism.
Invoking the slogan, Moran said, “I believe in America First, but unfortunately America First means we have to engage the world.”
Many Republicans in the House oppose this aid, and although it is unlikely to stand up to President Trump, some leading Republicans have indicated they will push for passage of the bill.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) traveled to Ukraine with a bipartisan delegation last week and met with President Zelensky. After his visit, Turner posted on X (formerly Twitter), “I reiterated the United States’ commitment to supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia.”
However, Chairman Johnson is in a difficult position. A majority of the conference opposes the aid, and he is leading a narrow majority to avoid the fate of his predecessor, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted in October.
Johnson, R-Louisiana, said in a statement Monday that the foreign aid package lacks border security provisions and is “silent on the most pressing issues facing our nation.” This was the latest and potentially most significant sign of opposition to Ukraine aid by House Republican leaders, who had rejected the bipartisan border plan as a “non-starter” and contributed to its rapid demise. Ta.
“With no changes to border policy currently coming from the Senate, the House will have to continue to work on these important issues on its own,” Johnson said. “America deserves better than what’s going on in the Senate.”
Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Virginia, traveled to Kiev last week with Turner and other members of Congress. She said her trip highlighted that Ukraine is still fighting an existential battle.
During his meeting with Zelenskiy, he said U.S. lawmakers tried to provide assurances that the American people still supported the country.
“He made it clear that our continued support was essential if they were to win the war,” Spanberger said. “It’s critical to their own freedom. And importantly, it’s critical to the national security interests of the United States.”
