In a pre-dawn vote, the Democratic-led US Senate approved a $95.34 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, meeting the 60-vote threshold required to advance the legislation to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, The Guardian reports.
US President Joe Biden has been urging Congress for months to expedite new aid, amid Ukrainian officials' warnings of weapons shortages amidst escalated Russian attacks. Approval from both houses of Congress is necessary before Biden can enact the legislation, which has encountered Republican resistance for months, benefitting Russia in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.
As the Senate-approved bill heads to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, the path forward for the aid package remains uncertain. US House Speaker Mike Johnson has voiced his rejection of the Senate's proposal, citing a lack of stringent US border security measures, a key demand from House Republicans, The Hill says.
“[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,” Johnson said in a statement. “America deserves better than the Senate’s status quo.”
The aid package includes significant allocations, including $61 billion for Ukraine to address weapons shortages and counter Russian aggression, $14 billion for Israel in its conflict with Hamas, and $4.83 billion for Indo-Pacific partners, including Taiwan, to deter Chinese aggression. Additionally, the package earmarks $9.15 billion in humanitarian assistance for civilians affected by conflicts worldwide.
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