The Senate has embarked on the consideration of a significant foreign aid package worth $95 billion, intended to support Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. This package, composed of four separate bills, garnered bipartisan approval in the House during the previous weekend. President Joe Biden has implored the Senate to swiftly advance these measures to his desk for final approval.
The allocation of funds within the package includes approximately $26 billion for Israel, currently embroiled in conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip; $61 billion for Ukraine; and $8 billion for allies in the Indo-Pacific region. A fourth bill contained within the package proposes a ban on TikTok within the United States, along with the imposition of sanctions on Russia, China, and Iran. It also includes provisions to seize Russian assets and utilize them to aid Ukraine’s recovery from the devastating effects of the war.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, addressing the Senate on Tuesday morning, emphasized the importance of completing this legislative process and urged his colleagues to proceed as expeditiously as possible. Schumer had previously lauded the House’s passage of the bills as a critical juncture in the defense of democracy and announced that the Senate would shorten its recess in order to hold its first vote on advancing the proposals on Tuesday. The final passage of the bills is anticipated sometime this week.
Schumer asserted in a statement released on Saturday, “To our Ukrainian friends, our NATO allies, our Israeli allies, and civilians around the world in need of assistance: rest assured that America will once again deliver.” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, a steadfast proponent of aid to Ukraine, also took the floor on Tuesday morning to underscore the United States’ global responsibility to assist Ukraine in its struggle against Russia.
Over a year has passed since Congress authorized fresh assistance for Ukraine in its fight against Russian invaders. The conflict has intensified in recent weeks, with Ukrainian air defenses dwindling and more Russian strikes penetrating their defenses. President Biden had a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday to reaffirm America’s support for the nation. Biden stated that his administration would deliver a new batch of support to Ukraine as soon as the bills were approved by Congress. Zelenskyy, in his own statement, expressed gratitude for “[Biden’s] unwavering support for Ukraine and his genuine global leadership.”
Zelenskyy commended House Speaker Mike Johnson for his evolution on the issue of aid to Ukraine, which initially included demands for changes to border and immigration policies but ultimately led to collaboration with Democrats to pass the latest bills. He also acknowledged House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
Last fall, President Biden initially requested additional assistance for Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific region. In February, the Senate approved a $95 billion bill, but the legislation stalled in the House as a coalition of Republican hardliners opposed sending more funds overseas without addressing domestic concerns, particularly in the area of immigration. GOP leaders, including Johnson, echoed these concerns and pushed for substantial changes to immigration policy. However, a sweeping Senate deal that linked foreign aid to such revisions faced opposition from former President Donald Trump and was deemed insufficient by conservatives.
Subsequently, pressure mounted on lawmakers to approve aid to foreign allies following unprecedented Iranian attacks on Israel earlier this month, retaliating for a strike on an Iranian consular complex in Syria, and as Russian forces continued to make territorial gains. Speaker Johnson, who had previously opposed further aid to Ukraine, stated last week that he was “prepared” to risk his position on the issue, facing the threat of removal from fellow Republican Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie, and Paul Gosar. Johnson garnered bipartisan praise for his change of stance.
“He attempted to carry out the wishes of the Freedom Caucus, but it was doomed to fail in the Senate and the White House,” Republican Representative Michael McCaul, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, stated on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “We were running out of time, after all. Ukraine is in danger of collapsing.” Johnson, according to McCaul, “underwent a transformation” on the subject.
