Capitol Hill is abuzz with progress in the Senate, which is expected to pass a $95 billion standalone aid package for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific without border security measures.
After clearing the first procedural hurdle on Thursday, the Senate is now gearing up for what is expected to be a lengthy debate, with an eye toward weekend sessions and possible overnight votes. The current situation is fluid.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s move to file an additional closing vote could lengthen the process, with the Senate bound by procedural rules governing the timing of votes, which could begin Friday night and begin Tuesday. It could happen anytime between now and then, a Senate aide told Fox News. Digital.
“Now that the bill is under consideration, I hope to reach agreement with my Republican colleagues on amendments,” Schumer said after the vote. “For your information, senators, we will continue to work on this bill until the job is done.”
Israel-Ukraine foreign aid bill clears first hurdle in Senate without border and immigration provisions
(Republican) Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN, Y), December 12, 2023, in Washington, DC. At the U.S. Capitol. (Getty Images)
The $95 billion package passed Wednesday on a 67-32 closing vote, also known as a motion to limit debate on the bill, moving it to a final vote. A three-fifths majority was required.
The aid package includes $60 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel, $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza, and nearly $5 billion for the Indo-Pacific. On Wednesday, Democrats brought the bill to a vote after Republicans blocked the $118 billion bill, which also included numerous border and immigration provisions.
Republicans previously said they would not approve funding for Ukraine unless it first secured its controlled southern border.
Migrants cross the border from Mexico and wait to be processed by the U.S. Border Patrol with the U.S.-Mexico border wall in the background, in Yuma, Arizona, August 6, 2022. (Qian Weizhong/VCG, via Getty Images)
Senators are now in a debate period, awaiting additional closing resolutions before having a chance to add amendments in the coming days, and Republicans are certain to introduce border security-related proposals.
Sen. Krysten Sinema (Ariz.), one of the lead negotiators on the failed border bill that took months to develop, spoke with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.C.) on the floor Thursday afternoon. After some sparring, Mr. Graham called the border bill “a.” He couldn’t vote for “half effort.”
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Graham, an ardent supporter of the Ukraine funds, said on the floor: “We didn’t really try to secure our borders. We got goods of goodwill. People worked really hard.” Stated. “I applaud you and others for putting out a product that has a lot of good things in it, but that I didn’t think was good enough.”
“I look forward to discussing it and perhaps supporting one or more of his amendments,” Sinema said. However, the amendment and debate will be suspended until the next procedural vote, paving the way for consideration of additional amendments.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol on December 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker)
“However, the package does not include any of the border language that we have so carefully negotiated over the past four and a half months, which could make it even more difficult to consider some of the border amendments.” Sinema said.
Graham and Republican senators Pete Ricketts, Tommy Tuberville, Rick Scott, Mike Lee, Katie Britt, John Barrasso, Josh Hawley, Rand Paul and Roger. Marshall and Jim Risch voted against the stand-alone bill. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), who negotiated the border provisions that failed to pass the Senate on Wednesday, also voted against it.
Seventeen Republicans voted to advance the bill, including Minority Whip John Thune and Sens. Chuck Grassley, Roger Wicker, John Kennedy, Mitt Romney, and Mike Rounds.
Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell supported funding for Ukraine and voted to advance the bill, but it drew criticism from members of his own party who urged lawmakers not to pass foreign aid without securing the border.
However, the path to a final vote appears to be winding, with expectations that prolonged debate and procedural complexity will delay a final decision.
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), a huge Kansas City Chiefs fan, even joked to X that he was prepared for voting to drag on until Sunday’s Super Bowl.
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Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) seemed determined to make that happen.
On January 25, 2023, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) stands alongside Republican senators at a press conference to discuss the national debt issue. (Fox Business)
“It’s not going to be easy,” Paul told reporters. “I’m going to let them stay here until the end of the week, and they’ll get a vote. And as far as I know, they’ll be done when hell freezes over.”
“By the end of the weekend, I hope every American in the country knows that the people who voted for this bill voted to secure the Ukraine border before we secured our southern border. ”
He added that he may also ask the secretary to read out the Ukraine-Israel bill.
Rand argued that even if Schumer selected several amendments and brought them to the floor, “none of them” would pass.
“Democrats will vote en masse against every amendment,” he said.
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Against this backdrop, the Senate is bracing for a series of debates, a possible vote on amendments, and a protracted debate that could extend into the second half of next week.
On Tuesday, House Republicans instead sought to pass a standalone bill that would provide aid only to Israel. It was rejected because 14 Republicans and 166 Democrats voted against it.
