The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday night to give final approval to a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending it to President Biden and ending months of uncertainty over whether the United States would continue to support Kiev in the fight against Russia would support aggression.
The vote reflected resounding bipartisan support for the measure, which the House passed with a lopsided majority on Saturday after a harrowing journey on Capitol Hill, where it was nearly derailed by opposition from the right. The Senate’s 79-18 vote handed a victory to the president, who had urged lawmakers to act quickly so he could sign the legislation into law.
And it capped an extraordinary political saga that raised questions about whether the United States would continue to play a leading role in maintaining international order and enforcing its values around the world.
“Our allies around the world have watched Congress over the last six months and asked themselves the same thing: When it matters most, will America have the strength to come together, overcome the centrifugal pull of partisanship, and rise to the magnitude of the situation Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and Majority Leader, said on Tuesday. “Tonight, under the watchful eye of history, the Senate answers that question with a thunderous and resounding ‘yes.'”
In a statement minutes after the vote, Mr. Biden said he would sign the bill and “reach out to the American people as soon as it reaches my desk tomorrow so we can begin shipping weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week.” “
“Congress passed my bill to strengthen our national security and send a message to the world about the power of American leadership: We stand resolutely for democracy and freedom and against tyranny and oppression,” he said.
The House passed the package Saturday in four parts: one measure for each of the three U.S. allies and another designed to sweeten the deal for conservatives and includes a provision that could lead to a nationwide ban on TikTok. The bill was submitted to the Senate as a single package, requiring only a single yes or no vote to pass.
Facing fierce opposition to support for Ukraine from his right flank, Speaker Mike Johnson structured the House legislation to attract diverse coalitions of support without allowing opposition to any one element to derail the whole. The majority of Republicans in the House of Representatives rejected aid to Kiev.
The bill’s components are nearly identical to the bill that passed the Senate in February with bipartisan support. This includes $60.8 billion for Ukraine; $26.4 billion for Israel and humanitarian assistance to civilians in conflict zones, including Gaza; and $8.1 billion for the Indo-Pacific region.
In addition to the easing package, which also includes new rounds of sanctions against Iranian and Russian officials, the House added provisions directing the president to require the Ukrainian government to repay $10 billion in economic aid. That was a reference to a call by former President Donald J. Trump to convert any further aid to Kiev into a loan. However, the bill allows the president to forgive these loans starting in 2026.
Nine Republicans who opposed the relief bill passed by the Senate in February supported the bill this time. When Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma changed his vote Tuesday, this time agreeing to advance the legislation, Sen. Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and minority leader, gave him a thumbs up in the Senate.
“75 percent of the bill, the total funding, stays in the United States,” Mullin said on Newsmax, explaining his support for the bill. “That’s what a lot of people don’t realize. This goes to our defense industry; This is to replenish our ammunition.”
Fifteen far-right Republican senators who oppose aid to Ukraine voted against the bill. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who opposed the measure but was one of three Republicans who did not vote on its final passage, argued that Congress was “rushing to continue funding the waging of a war that has no chance of ending.” has a positive outcome.”
“Putting more money into Ukraine’s treasury will only prolong the conflict and lead to more deaths,” Tuberville said. “No one in the White House, the Pentagon or the State Department can articulate what victory looks like in this fight. When we sent the first tranche of aid over two years ago, this was not possible. We should work with Ukraine and Russia to negotiate an end to this madness.”
Three liberals, Democratic Senators Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Peter Welch of Vermont, and Vermont independent Bernie Sanders, also opposed the measure. They said they could not support sending more offensive weapons to Israel when the government’s campaign in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of people and sparked famine there.
“We now find ourselves in the absurd situation where Israel is using U.S. military aid to block the delivery of U.S. humanitarian aid to the Palestinians,” Sanders said. “If that’s not crazy, I don’t know what is. But it is also a clear violation of US law. Given this reality, we shouldn’t even be having this debate today. It is illegal to continue current military aid to Israel, let alone send another $9 billion without conditions.”
But the vast majority of senators from both parties supported the bill, and Senate leaders viewed its passage as a triumph, especially given opposition to aid to Ukraine that had been building in the House.
For months, Mr. Johnson and right-wing Republicans in the House of Representatives had refused to consider aid to Ukraine unless Mr. Biden agreed to tough measures restricting immigration at the U.S. border with Mexico. When Senate Democrats approved a bill this year that combined the aid with tougher border control provisions, Trump rejected it and Republicans rejected it outright.
Then the Senate passed its own $95 billion emergency relief bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan without any immigration measures, increasing political pressure on the House of Representatives to do the same. For weeks, Mr. Schumer and Mr. McConnell’s message to Mr. Johnson has been the same: pass the Senate bill.
In lengthy remarks in the Senate on Tuesday before the procedural vote, McConnell called Congress’ approval of the relief package “a test of American resolve, our preparedness and our will to lead.” He rebuked naysayers in his party and criticized those who, he said, would “indulge in the fantasy of putting up a drawbridge.”
“Make no mistake: delays in delivering self-defense weapons to Ukraine have hurt the prospects of defeating Russian aggression,” McConnell said. “Hesitation and hesitation have exacerbated the challenges we face. Today’s action is long overdue, but our work does not end here. Confidence in American resolve will not be restored overnight. Expanding and replenishing the arsenal of democracy does not simply happen by magic.”
Ukrainian officials welcomed the impending passage of the law.
Ruslan Stefanchuk, the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, posted on social media a photo of lawmakers holding American flags in the meeting room in Kyiv as “thanks to the United States and to every member of the House of Representatives who supported the Ukraine aid bill “We look forward to a similar decision from the Senate.”
“The United States has been and remains a strategic partner, standing side by side with the Ukrainian people in our fight against the Russian aggressor!” Mr. Stefanchuk added.
The photo was reminiscent of the scene in the House of Representatives on Saturday, when Democrats waved miniature flags of Ukraine as they voted for the relief bill. They were rebuked by Mr. Johnson and other Republicans, who called it a breach of decorum and said only American flags should be displayed in the chamber.
Lara Jakes contributed reporting from Rome.
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2024-04-24 03:14:50
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