Overcoming staunch Republican resistance that had stalled it for months, the US House of Representatives approved a $95 billion legislation package on Friday that will benefit Israel, Ukraine, and the Indo-Pacific region. The vote was widely nonpartisan.
The procedural vote on Friday, which was carried out 316-94 with a slight majority of Democrats voting in favor, advanced a package that was approved by the Senate in February, which is controlled by Democrats.
Since then, top Senate Republicans Mitch McConnell and Hakeem Jeffries, along with Democratic President Joe Biden and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, have been pushing for a House vote; Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson had resisted in the face of opposition from a vocal but small portion of his party.
Together with help for allies, the package also calls for the transfer of Russian assets that have been frozen to Ukraine, imposes penalties on Iran and Hamas, and requires China’s ByteDance to sell the social media site TikTok or risk a ban in the US.
More than $95 billion in security assistance is provided by the law, including $9.1 billion for humanitarian aid—a request made by Democrats.
The Senate must enact the bill in order to submit it to President Biden for signature into law, if the House does as predicted.
Senators should be ready to return over the weekend if necessary, according to Schumer Friday directive.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has made conflicting statements regarding his support for aid to Ukraine, and some conservative congressmen share this view.
A few Democrats have also advocated for more restrictions on the bill’s aid to Israel and are against certain of its features.
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