The Senate earlier Tuesday approved a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, continuing after months of difficult negotiations and amid a growing political divide in the Republican Party over the role of the United States abroad.
The vote came after a small group of Republicans opposed to $60 billion for Ukraine held a Senate hearing through the night, using the final hour of the debate to argue that the US should focus on its own problems before sending more money abroad. But 22 Republicans voted with nearly all Democrats to pass the package 70-29, with supporters arguing that leaving Ukraine could embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin and threaten national security around the world.
“With this bill, the Senate is declaring that American leadership will not waver, will not waver, will not fail,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who worked closely with Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on the legislation.
The bill’s passage through the Senate is a welcome sign for Ukraine amid critical shortages on the battlefield.
But the package faces a highly uncertain future in the House, where hardline Republicans aligned with former President Donald Trump — the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, and a vocal supporter of Ukraine — oppose the legislation.
Speaker Mike Johnson cast fresh doubt on the package in a statement Monday afternoon, explaining that it could be weeks or months before Congress sends legislation to President Joe Biden’s desk — if ever.
The Senate passed a $95.3 billion aid package for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. Getty Images
Still, the vote was a victory for both Senate leaders. Schumer expressed strong bipartisan support and projected that if the House speaker brought it forward, it would have equally strong support in the chamber. McConnell has made Ukraine a top priority in recent months, and is adamant in the face of overwhelming rejection from his own GOP conference.
“History settles every account,” the longtime Republican leader said in a statement after the bill passed. “And today, on the value of American leadership and strength, history will record that the Senate did not blink.”
Dollars provided by the law will buy US-made defense equipment, including ammunition and air defense systems that officials say will be essential when Russia attacks the country. It also includes $8 billion for the government in Kyiv and other aid.
“For us in Ukraine, continued US aid helps save human lives from Russian terrorism,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media. “This means that life will continue in our city and will prevail over war.”
In addition, the legislation would provide $14 billion for Israel’s war with Hamas, $8 billion for Taiwan and partners in the Indo-Pacific to counter China, and $9.2 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza.
Progressive lawmakers have objected to sending assault weapons to Israel, and two Democrats, Senators Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Peter Welch of Vermont, as well as Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, voted against it.
“I cannot in good conscience support sending billions of additional taxpayer dollars to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s military campaign in Gaza,” Welch said. “It is a campaign that has killed and injured a large number of civilians. It creates a huge humanitarian crisis.”
The bill’s passage follows nearly five months of agonizing negotiations on a far-reaching bill that would match foreign aid with an overhaul of border and asylum policy. Republicans demanded the change, saying the surge in immigration to the United States needs to be addressed alongside the security of allies.
But a bipartisan deal on border security collapsed just days after it was announced, a dizzying development that left negotiators deeply frustrated. Republicans declared the bill inadequate and blocked it on the Senate floor.
After the border bill collapsed, the two leaders abandoned the border provision and pushed ahead with passing a foreign aid package only – just as Democrats had intended.
Although the reduced foreign aid bill ultimately won healthy GOP support, several Republicans who had previously expressed support for Ukraine voted against it. The episode exposed further divisions within the party, made public as Trump probed and a handful of lawmakers publicly called for McConnell to step down.
Senator JD Vance, an Ohio Republican, argued that the US should withdraw from the conflict and help resolve it with Putin from Russia. He questioned the wisdom of continuing to fuel Ukraine’s defenses when Putin appeared committed to fighting for years.
“I think it has to do with the reality we live in, which is that they are a more powerful country, and it is their territory in the world,” he said.
Vance, along with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and other opponents, spent several hours on the floor railing against the relief and complaining about the Senate process. They dug in their heels to delay the final vote, talking on the floor until dawn.
Supporters of the aid refused, warning that bowing to Russia would be a historic mistake with dire consequences. In an unusually raw back-and-forth, GOP senators who supported the aid challenged some opponents directly.
North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis angrily slammed some of their arguments, noting that the money would only help Ukraine for less than a year and that most of it would be used to replenish US military stockpiles.
“Why am I so focused on this vote?” Tillis said. “Because I don’t want to be in the pages of history that we will regret if we leave. You will see the coalition supporting Ukraine collapse. You will finally see China become bold. And I will not be on that page of history.”
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., became emotional as he talked about the hardships of the Senate and spending time away from his family to do little. “But there’s always an issue that comes before us that seems to explain why we’re here,” he said, his voice hoarse.
Moran admitted that the cost of the package was heavy for him, but insisted that if Putin attacked NATO members in Europe, the US would be bound by the agreement to get directly involved in the conflict – a commitment that Trump has called for. he asked as he sought another term in the White House.
At Saturday’s rally, Trump said he had told NATO allies that he would encourage Russia to “do whatever they want” to members who are “delinquent” in their commitment to the alliance. The former president has led his party away from a foreign policy doctrine of aggressive American engagement abroad and toward “America First” isolationism.
Evoking the slogan, Moran said, “I believe in America first, but unfortunately America first means we have to be involved in the world.”
In the House, many Republicans have opposed the aid and are unlikely to cross Trump, but some key GOP lawmakers have signaled they will push for it.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, R-Ohio, traveled to Ukraine last week with a bipartisan delegation and met with Zelenskyy. Turner posted on X, formerly Twitter, after the visit that “I reiterate America’s commitment to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia.”
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But Speaker Johnson is in a difficult position. A majority of his conference opposes the aid, and he is trying to lead by the narrowest majority and avoid the fate of his predecessor, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted in October.
Johnson, R-La., said in a statement Monday that because the foreign aid package has no border security provisions, it is “silent on the most pressing issue facing our country.” It’s the latest — and potentially most consequential — sign of opposition to Ukraine aid from the House GOP leadership, which has dismissed the bipartisan border plan as a “non-starter,” contributing to its quick demise.
“Now, in the absence of receiving any single border policy change from the Senate, the House will continue to work on its own accord on these important matters,” Johnson said. “America deserves better than the Senate status quo.”
Rep. Abigail Spenberger, a Virginia Democrat, traveled to Kyiv last week with Turner and other members of the House. He said the trip emphasized to him how Ukraine is still fighting for its existence.
During a meeting with Zelenskyy, he said US lawmakers were trying to offer reassurances that the American people still stand with their country.
“He was clear that our continued support was essential to their ability to win the war,” Spenberger said. “It is important for their own freedom. And importantly, it is important to the interests of US national security.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
