(USNewsMag.com) – After months of arduous negotiations, the Senate finally passed an aid package for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, which excluded funding for border security and will now advance to an uncertain fate in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The vote followed a period of intense debate after a small group of GOP senators rejected sending $60 billion to Ukraine, which held up the floor overnight. The Republican lawmakers spend the final hours of the debate arguing that America should be focusing on its own issues before dishing out more funding for overseas conflicts.
Ultimately, 22 Republicans joined with almost all of the Democratic Senators in a bipartisan effort that pushed the package through with a 70-29 vote. Supporters of the bill argued that Russia will only become emboldened if the US abandons Ukraine now as the war enters its third year.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer commented on the bill’s passing by stating the decision is a declaration from the Senate that “American leadership will not waiver,” “falter,” or “fail.” Schumer worked closely with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to settle on the legislation. McConnell has been flip-flopping, though. Just a week prior, he told his Republican conference not to vote for the previous package that included border security funding and updates to immigration law.
The passage of the bill is a welcome development for Ukraine, which faces a shortage of resources on the battlefield as they continue repelling the Russian invasion.
The $95 billion package’s future remains uncertain as it will surely have trouble passing through the House of Representatives and making it to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who is already casting doubts about the package, said it would take weeks or even months before Congress sends it over to Biden’s desk – if that even happens at all.
Biden addressed the House directly and urged them to act, stating that the U.S. “cannot afford to wait any longer” and that its “inaction” is taking a toll “every day,” particularly in Ukraine. The president said troops on the front lines are “running out of ammunition.” Schumer believes bipartisan support will pressure the House Speaker to advance the bill.
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