The Senate early Tuesday passed a $US95 billion ($145 billion) aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, pushing ahead after months of difficult negotiations and amid growing political divisions in the Republican Party over the role of the United States abroad.
The vote came after a small group of Republicans opposed to the $US60 billion for Ukraine held the Senate floor through the night, using the final hours of debate to argue that the US should focus on its own problems before sending more money overseas.
But more than a dozen Republicans voted with almost all Democrats to pass the package 70-29, with supporters arguing that abandoning Ukraine could embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin and threaten national security across the globe.
“It’s been years, perhaps decades, since the Senate has passed a bill that so greatly impacts not just our national security, not just the security of our allies, but also the security of western democracy,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who worked closely with Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on the legislation.
The bill’s passage through the Senate was a welcome sign for Ukraine amid critical shortages on the battlefield.
Yet the package faces a deeply uncertain future in the House, where hardline Republicans aligned with former president Donald Trump — the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, and a critic of support for Ukraine — oppose the legislation.
Speaker Mike Johnson cast new doubt on the package in a statement Monday evening, making clear that it could be weeks or months before Congress sends the legislation to President Joe Biden’s desk — if at all.
Still, the vote was a win for both Senate leaders.
Mr McConnell has made Ukraine his top priority in recent months, and was resolute in the face of considerable pushback from his own GOP conference.
Speaking directly to his detractors in a floor speech on Sunday, Mr McConnell said that “the eyes of the world” were on the US Senate.
“Will we give those who wish us harm more reason to question our resolve, or will we recommit to exercising American strength?” Mr McConnell asked.
Dollars provided by the legislation would purchase US-made defence equipment, including munitions and air defence systems that authorities say are desperately needed as Russia batters the country.
It also includes $8 billion for the government in Kyiv and other assistance.
In addition, the legislation would provide $US14 billion for Israel’s war with Hamas, $US8 billion for Taiwan and partners in the Indo-Pacific to counter China, and $US9.2 billion in humanitarian assistance for Gaza.
Months of negotiations
The bill’s passage followed almost five months of negotiations over an expansive bill that would have paired the foreign aid with an overhaul of border and asylum policies.
Republicans demanded the trade-off, saying the surge of migration into the United States had to be addressed alongside the security of allies.
But a bipartisan deal on border security struck by Republican Senator James Lankford fell apart just days after its unveiling, a head-spinning development that left negotiators deeply frustrated. Republicans declared the bill insufficient and blocked it on the Senate floor.
After the border bill collapsed, the two leaders abandoned the border provisions and pushed forward with passing the foreign aid package alone — as Democrats had originally intended.
While the slimmed-down foreign aid bill eventually won enough Republican support to pass, several GOP senators who had previously expressed support for Ukraine voted against it.
The episode further exposed divisions in the party, made more public as Mr Trump dug in and a handful of lawmakers openly called for Mr McConnell to step down.
AP