“On this vote the yeas are 70, the nays are 29. The bill as amended, passes.” With that tally on Tuesday, Feb. 13, the Senate sent a roughly $95 billion aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan to the House. The vote cleared the chamber’s 60-vote threshold with room to spare. In the House, the bill’s prospects were far less certain.
President Joe Biden pushed the House to move fast. “For Republicans in Congress who think they can oppose funding for Ukraine and not be held accountable, history is watching,” he said, repeating “history is watching” three times. He called the bipartisan bill a message to Ukrainians and allies that “America can be trusted.”
Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskiy quickly welcomed the Senate result. He views the money as crucial while his country keeps repelling Russian attacks and tries to hold its battered economy together, with the war nearing its third year.
Johnson holds the key
Whether Republican Speaker Mike Johnson would allow a House vote was unclear. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer urged him to act. “I call on Speaker Johnson to rise to the occasion, to do the right thing: Bring this bill to the floor,” Schumer said.
Biden had been pressing Congress for months on Ukraine aid and had run into resistance from Republican hardliners. The week before, former President Donald Trump had pressured Republican lawmakers to block an earlier bill that would have paired foreign aid with sweeping border policy changes. Hardliners predicted the Senate’s newer bill would be dead on arrival in the House, which has not passed major Ukraine assistance since Republicans took control in January 2023.
Two months later
By mid-April the bill was still stuck. Biden held a phone call with congressional leaders from both parties: Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, Johnson, Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “The President discussed the urgent need for the House of Representatives to quickly pass an amendment to the National Security Act,” the White House said, as reported by CNN.
At a Sunday news conference, Schumer asked the House to take up the Senate-passed measure. “The best way to help Israel and Ukraine is to approve the amendment this week,” he said. “I urged Speaker Johnson to do this.”
Conservatives who oppose more Ukraine aid and want tougher U.S. border policy with Mexico have slowed the vote. Johnson showed reluctance to bring the Senate bill to the floor. He said he would instead introduce an alternative with “some important innovations,” though details of the changes were not clear.
The Senate-approved package carries $95 billion, with $60 billion set aside for Ukraine. To become law, it needs passage in the House and Biden’s signature.
Sources
- Biden urges House to pass $95 billion aid bill
- Biden Urges Congress to Swiftly Pass Bill Supporting Ukraine and Israel | Dagens.com
