Senate Passes $95 Billion Military Aid Bill for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan
It's unclear if the bill will make it to the House floor for a vote
by Dave DeCamp
The Senate on Tuesday morning passed the $95 billion foreign military aid bill that includes money for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan after a rare overnight session where Republican opponents of the legislation argued against it.
The bill passed in a vote of 70-29, with 22 Republicans and nearly every Democrat voting to pass the legislation. Only two Democrats — Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) — voted against the massive spending package. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) also voted no.
The bill’s fate in the House is unclear as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) suggested he might not bring it to the floor for a vote. “[In] the absence of having received any single border policy change from the Senate, the House will have to continue to work its own will on these important matters,” he said in a statement on Monday night.
Johnson rejected the initial $118 billion bill that included about $20 billion in border spending, which was the result of months of negotiations between Republicans and Democrats in the Senate. Johnson is not against funding Ukraine and previously tried to pass a stand-alone bill for Israel, but he appears set on wanting another border deal before bringing the $95 billion bill to a vote.
If the bill is put on the floor for a vote, it’s expected to pass, as there is still strong support in the House for continuing the proxy war in Ukraine and backing the Israeli slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza.
Democratic proponents of the bill could work on getting enough signatures for a discharge petition, which would bypass leadership to hold a vote on the legislation. But that would require cooperation with some Republicans, and it’s unclear how many progressive Democrats might oppose the bill due to the unconditional aid for Israel.
Packed into the $95 billion legislation is about $60 billion for the proxy war in Ukraine, $14 billion for the Israeli onslaught in Gaza, and $4.8 billion for Taiwan and other spending on the Indo-Pacific region to prepare for a future war with China.