The US Senate approved a $95 billion package that includes aid for Israel

The US Senate approved a $95 billion package that includes aid for Israel

The Senate on Tuesday approved a long-delayed $95 billion package with broad bipartisan support after both sides of Capitol Hill struggled for months to send aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

The final vote was 79-18. Fifteen Republicans voted with three Democrats against the bill. Forty-eight Democrats and 31 Republicans voted for the bill.

The legislation next went to President Joe Biden to sign into law, who said he would sign the package on Wednesday. His departure is an important victory for the US president, congressional Democrats and Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, who has long pushed for aid to Ukraine even as his party’s right wing has soured over support for Kyiv.

Towards the final passage, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer began his brief speech with “finally, finally, finally.”

“Tonight, may Vladimir Putin regret the day he questioned American resolve,” he said.

The package combines four bills the House voted on separately in a rare Saturday session, providing nearly $61 billion in aid for Ukraine, more than $26 billion for Israel and more than $8 billion for the Indo-Pacific. The first three bills are very similar to the package the Senate passed earlier this year, which House Speaker Mike Johnson originally refused to bring to the House floor.

The fourth bill increases sanctions on Russian assets and contains language that could lead to a ban on TikTok in the US. It gave Chinese parent company ByteDance about nine months to sell TikTok, or the app would be banned from American app stores.

Biden praised the Senate’s passage of the legislation in a written statement.

“I will sign this bill into law and address the American people as soon as it reaches my desk tomorrow so we can begin sending weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week,” Biden said. “The need is urgent: for Ukraine, facing relentless bombing from Russia; for Israel, which has just faced an unprecedented attack from Iran; for refugees and those affected by conflict and natural disasters around the world, including in Gaza, Sudan and Haiti; and for our partners seeking security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.”

The president also thanked Schumer, McConnell and the bipartisan group of lawmakers who voted for the bill.

“This critical legislation will make our country and the world safer as we support our friends who are defending themselves against terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like Putin,” Biden said.

The House took up the legislation after Johnson ran afoul of conservatives in his party who opposed sending aid to Ukraine and threatened to oust him over his handling of the issue. In the end, the legislation was sent out of the House by a wide bipartisan margin. Aid to Ukraine and Israel has stalled after House and Senate Republicans demanded action on border security first, leading to months of negotiations in the Senate over a border package tied to foreign aid. However, former President Donald Trump led opposition to the final deal, and Republicans ended up scrapping it.

McConnell, who has consistently split with his party over its support for Ukraine, described Tuesday’s vote as “overdue” and “a test, and we cannot fail.”

“This is what I know to be true: America’s prosperity and security are the products of decades of American leadership,” McConnell said. “Our global interests come with global responsibilities. A healthy alliance eases the burden of this responsibility.”

Schumer took a victory lap following the passage of foreign aid legislation.

“You can get things done and I hope our Republican colleagues have learned that lesson not to listen to hard things, but to try and work and get things done,” the New York Democrat said at a news conference.

Schumer defended not allowing the amendments — including one by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders — to be voted on, saying, “We need to get this bill done as quickly as possible.”

In a similar vein, Schumer defended the addition of legislation targeting TikTok.

“Speaker Johnson put it in a bill – in a big supplemental bill, and we need to get that supplemental bill passed as soon as possible,” he said.

He also said he left a message for the president of the Ukraine following the vote.

“I left a message for President Zelensky tonight — he called me the other day — and said ‘Okay, we’re done. Now go win the fight,'” Schumer said.

When pressed about how long funding to Ukraine will last and when he believes they should come back for more, Schumer said, “It’s a very complete package” as he left the room.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the Senate’s approval of the foreign aid package.

“I thank the United States Senate for approving important aid to Ukraine today,” he said in a post on X on Tuesday.

The legislation underscores US support for Ukraine, Zelensky said, adding that the aid would boost the country’s defense and military capabilities on the battlefield.

“This vote strengthens America’s role as a beacon of democracy and leader of the free world,” he said. “Ukraine’s long-range capabilities, artillery, and air defense are essential tools to restore peace faster.”