Legislation allocates $61b for Ukraine, $14b for Israel and $4.83b to support Indo-Pacific partners, including Taiwan
\nWASHINGTON
\nThe Democratic-led US Senate on Tuesday passed a $95.34 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, amid growing doubts about the legislation\u2019s fate in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
\nThe lawmakers approved the measure in a 70-29 vote that exceeded the chamber\u2019s 60-vote threshold for passage and sent the legislation on to the House. Twenty-two Republicans joined most Democrats to support the bill.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s certainly been years, perhaps decades, since the Senate has passed a bill that so greatly impacts not just our national security, not just the security of our allies, but the security of western democracy,\u201d Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
\nThe Senate vote occurred before sunrise, after eight hardline Republican opponents of Ukraine aid held an overnight marathon of speeches that dominated the chamber floor for more than six hours.
\nDemocratic President Joe Biden has been urging Congress to hurry the new aid to Ukraine and US partners in the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan, for months. After Hamas\u2019 Oct. 7 attack on Israel, he also requested funds for the US ally, along with humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza. Ukrainian officials have also warned of weapons shortages at a time when Russia is pressing ahead with renewed attacks.
\nBoth houses of Congress must approve the legislation before Biden can sign it into law.
\nSchumer said he believes the measure would receive the same strong bipartisan support if it came to a vote in the House.
\nBut the bill appears to face long odds of getting to the floor of the House, where Republican Speaker Mike Johnson faulted it for lacking conservative provisions to stem a record flow of migrants across the US-Mexico border.
\nDead on arrival?
\n\u201cIn the absence of having received any single border policy change from the Senate, the House will have to continue to work its own will on these important matters,\u201d Johnson said in a statement issued late on Monday.
\n\u201cAmerica deserves better than the Senate\u2019s status quo,\u201d said Johnson, who has suggested in the past that the House could split the legislation into separate bills.
\nSenator John Thune, the chamber\u2019s No. 2 Republican, said it was not clear what Johnson would do.
\n\u201cThe House, I assume, is going to move on something. Obviously, they\u2019re going to address Israel,\u201d Thune said.
\nHardline Republicans predicted that the Senate legislation would be dead on arrival in the House.
\n\u201cThe bill before us today … will never pass in the House, will never become law,\u201d Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida said in an early morning floor speech.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Legislation allocates $61b for Ukraine, $14b for Israel and $4.83b to support Indo-Pacific partners, including Taiwan WASHINGTON The Democratic-led US Senate on Tuesday passed a $95.34 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, amid growing doubts about the legislation\u2019s fate in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. The lawmakers approved the measure in a 70-29 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":387017,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-387001","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n