After months of stalling, the U.S. House of Representatives finally approved more than $61 billion in military aid to support Ukraine in its desperate defense against Russia, as well as billions of dollars worth of aid to other allies, including Israel and Taiwan. Approved military aid.
In a bipartisan vote, 210 Democrats and 101 Republicans joined in supporting Ukraine, while 112 Republicans, the majority of Republicans, voted against it. The legislation comes after Republican Chairman Mike Johnson forced a series of bills to a vote in the face of fierce resistance within the Republican Party, which opposes increased spending on Ukraine’s defense.
Voting began hours earlier than scheduled during Saturday’s special session, delaying the House’s scheduled recess. The House of Representatives erupted in applause after the Ukraine bill passed, and Speaker Mark Molinaro of New York advised members not to wave Ukrainian flags.
In a forceful effort to sum up the stakes before the vote, former Democratic Party Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a fierce and graphic allegation. In this route, you will end up with blood on your hands, the blood of your children, the blood of a mother who was raped in front of her parents, and the blood of a mother who was raped in front of her children. “Sho,” she said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy recently said that without U.S. support, his country could “go to war” as his army suffers from a lack of ammunition and air defense, and Russia, under parliamentary control, is gaining superior firepower. “We will lose,” he warned.
Immediately after this bill was passed, Zelenskyy releases statement He thanked both parties and Chairman Mike Johnson personally “for the decisions that put history on the right track.”
“Democracy and freedom will always be of global importance and will never fail as long as the United States helps protect democracy and freedom.” “The important U.S. aid bill passed by the House of Representatives today will stop the spread of war, save thousands of lives, and help both countries emerge stronger. Peace and security can only be achieved through force. We look forward to supporting the bill in the Senate and sending it to President Biden’s desk.”
Lawmakers were voting on a bill totaling nearly $95 billion, but the bill was cut short after Johnson effectively delinked a vote on Ukraine from funding for Israel, which has more widespread support among both Democrats and Republicans. was split into four separate bills. .
The vote on additional funding for Israel also easily passed the House with 365 votes in favor and just 57 votes against (36 Democrats, 21 Republicans).
By splitting the bill into four parts, Mr. Jawson hoped to give recalcitrant far-right members of his own Republican conference the chance to vote on parts they didn’t like according to their conscience.
The first bill to be voted on was a border security bill, which predictably failed. Many right-wing Republicans don’t want the Biden administration to take credit for resolving the border crisis with Mexico, which has seen a surge in asylum seekers in an election year. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is trying to make the border issue an election issue.
The $95 billion total includes about $61 billion for Ukraine (much of the money will go toward replenishing American military supplies). $26 billion for Israel. $8 billion to U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan.$9 billion in humanitarian assistance to civilians in conflict zones such as Haiti, Sudan and Gaza, However, the package also includes a ban on direct US funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa), which provides vital aid to Gaza, until March 2025.
In total, about $23 billion of the $60.7 billion in the Ukraine bill would be used to replenish the U.S. military stockpile, opening the door to future U.S. military transfers to Ukraine. Another $14 billion will go to the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, where the Pentagon will purchase advanced new weapons systems for the Ukrainian military directly from U.S. defense contractors.
It also provides more than $11 billion to fund current U.S. military operations in the region, strengthen the capabilities of the Ukrainian military, facilitate intelligence cooperation between Kyiv and Washington, and support basic operations by the Ukrainian government. Approximately $8 billion is also earmarked for non-military aid such as continuity support. Operations such as salary and pension payments.
Ukraine’s Minister of Finance Sergiy Marchenko pointed to the bill’s provisions for budgetary support.
“This is the extraordinary support we need to maintain financial stability and win,” he wrote to X.
The policy largely mirrors the foreign aid bill passed by the Senate in February, but designates $10 billion in Ukraine funds as repayable loans to appease some Republicans.
Israel’s bill includes about $4.4 billion to replenish depleted U.S. supplies given to Israel. $4 billion for missile defense, including the much-vaunted Iron Dome, and $1.2 billion for Iron Beam. and $3.5 billion to help Israel buy weapons. There are also provisions that make it easier to supply U.S. munitions held in other countries to Israel.
The bill to support U.S. allies in the Asia-Pacific region, centered on Taiwan, includes more than $8 billion to counter Chinese activities, about $3.3 billion for submarine maintenance and $2 billion in military aid to Taiwan. It is included.
Another bill includes a provision that would force Chinese company ByteDance to sell the popular social media app TikTok, which Congress hopes will not allow China to obtain information about Americans. I’m worried about that. The bill, the 21st Century Peace by Force Act, also included the seizure of frozen Russian sovereign assets and additional sanctions against Iran.
The passed bill would be bundled into a single package to simplify the voting process in the Senate, which would have to reauthorize the proposal before sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature. be.
In a statement after the vote passed, Biden said: “Today, members of both parties of Congress voted to advance national security interests and send a clear message about the power of American leadership on the world stage. At this critical juncture, they heeded the call of history. We came together to respond and passed the urgently needed national security legislation that I have been fighting to secure for months.
“This package will provide critical support to Israel and Ukraine. It will provide desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza, Sudan, Haiti and other areas affected by conflict and natural disasters around the world. and strengthen security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, with Israel facing an unprecedented attack from Iran and Ukraine under continued shelling from Russia. He urged the Senate to quickly pass the bill “so that we can sign it into law and quickly send weapons and equipment to Ukraine to meet our urgent needs on the battlefield.” asked to do so.
To simply get the bill to a vote, Mr. Johnson needed help from Democrats across the aisle. The procedural vote was 316-94, with 165 Democrats and 151 Republicans supporting the motion.
Johnson’s reliance on Democratic votes to pass major legislation, including a major government funding bill passed by the House of Commons last month, has angered some far-right Republicans.
“While Mr. Johnson begs Democrats for votes and protection, what else has he given them?” Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia; Said “We don’t have a Republican majority anymore. The Republican chairman is literally controlled by the Democrats and giving them everything they want.”
Mr Green last month introduced a motion to remove Mr Johnson as chair, but has not yet moved to force a vote on the issue. Last week, two more House Republicans, Thomas Massey of Kentucky and Paul Gosar of Arizona, signed on as co-sponsors.
Democrats have said they may support any effort by far-right Republicans to oust Mr. Johnson over his support for Ukraine.
Speaking in Parliament House earlier this week, Mr Johnson said it was “very important” to provide aid to Ukraine despite the possibility that his opponents could oust him in another intra-party coup. He said it was “the right thing to do.”
“I believe wholeheartedly in the information and explanation that I received,” Johnson said. “I believe that Mr. Xi and Mr. Vladimir Putin and Iran are really an axis of evil. I think they are aligned in this regard. I think it will continue.
“I’m going to give every member of Congress the opportunity to vote their conscience and their will,” he said. “We have to do the right thing, and we’re willing to take personal risks to do it.” added. . And history will judge us. ”
The United States has sent about $111 billion in weapons, equipment, humanitarian aid and other aid to Ukraine since the war began more than two years ago.
