US House passes $95 billion Ukraine, Israel aid package and sends it to Senate

Washington: The US House of Representatives on Saturday passed a $95 billion legislative package providing security assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with broad bipartisan support, despite bitter objections from Republican hard-liners. The legislation now heads to the Democratic-majority Senate. Goes, which passed a similar measure more than two months ago. US leaders from Democratic President Joe Biden to top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell were urging embattled Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring it up for a vote. The Senate is scheduled to begin consideration of the House-passed bill with some preliminary votes at noon on Tuesday. Ready for. Final passage was expected sometime next week, clearing the way for Biden to sign it into law.

The bill provides $60.84 billion to address the conflict in Ukraine, including $23 billion to restock U.S. weapons, stocks, and facilities; $26 billion for Israel, including $9.1 billion for humanitarian needs and $8.12 billion for the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed thanks, saying US lawmakers would step up to “keep history on the right track” “The important U.S. aid bill passed today by the House will prevent the spread of war, save thousands of lives, and help both of our countries become stronger,” Zelensky said on Thursday. It was not clear whether Ukraine’s How quickly new military funding will run out could lead to calls for further action by Congress.

Also Read – Voting underway for parliamentary elections in Maldives Biden, who has been urging Congress since last year to approve additional aid to Ukraine, said in a statement: “This comes at a moment of grave urgency, in which Israel The vote on passage of the Ukraine funding was 311-112. It is noteworthy that 112 Republicans opposed this legislation, while only 101 supported it. Far-right Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene later told reporters, “Mike Johnson is an idiot… his job is done.” She has been a prominent opponent of helping Ukraine in its war against Russia and has taken steps that could threaten to oust Johnson from office over the issue. However, the Greens stopped short of doing so on Saturday. During the vote, several MPs waved small Ukrainian flags as it became clear that part of the package was about to pass. Johnson warned MPs it was a “breach of decorum”.

Meanwhile, House actions during a rare Saturday session displayed some cracks in the generally solid support for Israel within Congress. In recent months progressive Democrats have expressed anger over the Israeli government and its conduct of the war in Gaza.

In Saturday’s vote, which passed Israel aid by 366-58, there were 37 Democrats and 21 Republicans in opposition.

Passage of the long-awaited law was being closely watched by US defense contractors, who could be in line for large contracts to supply equipment to Ukraine and other US partners.

Johnson decided this week with his 218-213 majority to ignore threats of expulsion from hardline members and push forward the measure that includes funding Ukraine as it struggles to fight off a two-year-old Russian invasion. Is.

The unusual four-bill package also includes a measure threatening to ban Chinese-owned social media app TikTok and the possible transfer of seized Russian assets to Ukraine.

Some radical Republicans strongly opposed further aid to Ukraine, arguing that the United States could not afford its growing national debt of $34 trillion. He has repeatedly threatened to oust Johnson, who became speaker in October after his predecessor Kevin McCarthy was ousted by party hardliners.

“This is not the right law, this is not the law that we would have written if Republicans were in charge of both the House, the Senate and the White House,” Johnson told reporters on Friday. “This is the best possible product we can find to take care of these important obligations under these circumstances.”

Rep. Bob Good, chairman of the radical House Freedom Caucus, told reporters Friday that the bills “represent a major fiscal crisis and a fall into the abyss of the America-end policies of Joe Biden and (Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck) Schumer and (House Democratic “Leaders (Hakim) Jeffries, and do not reflect the American people.”

But Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who wields major influence in the party, expressed support for Johnson on April 12 and said in a Thursday social media post that Ukraine’s survival is important to the US.