The Senate is set to take a procedural vote on the $95 billion aid package for Ukraine on Tuesday afternoon, starting a 30-hour clock toward a vote on final passage. The package includes four bills, featuring aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, with a fourth proposal including a potential ban on TikTok and the REPO Act, which would greenlight the sale of Russian assets that have been seized.
Proponents and backers of Kyiv, including Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), have been urging for another round of funding for the war-torn country since late last summer. But they had been met with conservative opposition, which led to a three-month border negotiation detour and the killing of a bipartisan bill as soon as it was released.
However, faced with the deteriorating situation on the ground in Ukraine and the ongoing war in Gaza, Johnson ultimately changed his position. He has now relied on Democratic votes in recent key negotiations, including for the Ukraine bill and to fund the government, angering some conservative Republicans.
“I think he’s informed and educated himself well on the subjects … and concluded that the right place to land is where he has, and I give him credit for doing that,” Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said. “It’s hard, and it takes a lot of courage these days in the House when your political base over there is in a different place.”
Despite the ongoing mutiny by conservatives, the aid package is expected to pass easily. The House’s aid bill is expected to win almost every Senate Democrat and about half of the Republican conference.
The lone question surrounding the Senate vote is whether Republicans will be able to win the majority of the conference this go-around. The supplemental vote in February saw only 22 Republicans vote for the bill, with 29 members opposed only days after the border bill was nixed.
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky has lauded the actions of Congress, saying that the move ensures that Ukraine has “a chance for victory” and “will not be the second Afghanistan.”
