The Senate will hold a key vote on Tuesday to clear the way for final consideration of a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, laying the groundwork for approving the bill and sending it to President Joe Biden for his signature.
The measure passed the House on Saturday and is expected to receive broad bipartisan support in a test vote scheduled for early afternoon. A vote on final passage could come as early as Tuesday night. Mr. Biden urged lawmakers to act quickly so he can sign it into law.
“To our friends in Ukraine, our allies in NATO, our allies in Israel, and civilians in need around the world: rest assured. Once again, the United States will deliver on its promises,” said Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Chuck Schumer said as he arranged the vote. He called the House’s passage of the legislation “a watershed moment in the defense of democracy.”
The House of Representatives passed the package on Saturday in four parts: a measure targeting three U.S. allies and another aimed at facilitating conservatives that could lead to a nationwide ban on TikTok. They send the legislation to the Senate as a single package that requires only a single up-or-down vote to pass. House Speaker Mike Johnson structured the legislation in the House in such a way as to appeal to a different coalition of support while not allowing opposition to any one element to defeat the whole thing.
components of legislation It’s nearly identical to the bill that passed the Senate in February with bipartisan support. These include $61 billion for Ukraine; $26 billion for Israel and humanitarian aid to civilians in conflict zones, including Gaza; and $8 billion for the Indo-Pacific region. The House added provisions directing the president to seek repayment of $10 billion in economic aid from the Ukrainian government, a concept backed by former President Donald J. Trump, who had pushed for any aid to Kyiv to come in the form of loans. It also allows the president to forgive these loans starting in 2026.
Some hard-line Republicans opposed to continued aid to Ukraine are also expected to oppose the legislation, as are some liberal Democrats who say they cannot support aid to Ukraine at a time when the administration’s campaign has left dozens dead. Israel provides more offensive weapons. Thousands of people in Gaza are starving.
But an overwhelming majority of senators are expected to support the legislation, and Senate leaders view the bill’s imminent passage as a special victory given months of opposition to aid to Ukraine in the House.
For months, Johnson and right-wing Republicans in the House have refused to consider aid to Ukraine unless Biden agreed to a series of tough measures to limit immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border.When Senate Democrats agreed earlier this year legislation The aid was paired with tougher border enforcement provisions, which Trump denounced and Republicans rejected out of hand.
The Senate then passed a $95 billion emergency aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan without any immigration measures, increasing political pressure on the House to do the same. Mr. Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have the same message for Johnson: Pass the Senate bill.
