WASHINGTON - The Senate overwhelmingly passed a legislative package to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel, and allies in the Indo-Pacific but it faces additional hurdles as House speaker Mike Johnson announced he would not put the bill to the floor.
Only 29 senators –26 Republicans plus three Democrats – voted against the bill, with 70 senators, including 22 from the GOP, voting in favour. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky led the charge against the $95.34bn (£75.69bn) package as a host of Republican senators spoke on the floor late into the night on Monday evening and into Tuesday morning.
The legislation came after Senate Republicans rejected a larger package that would have included additional provisions to restrict immigration and increase security at the US-Mexico border. Democratic senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut; independent senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Republican senator James Lankford of Oklahoma negotiated the agreement that the House and many Republicans opposed as insufficient.
The package includes $60.6bn in aid to Ukraine; $14.1bn in aid to Israel to assist with its war against Hamas after the 7 October attack; $2.44bn for US Central Command to address combat expenditures for conflict in the Red Sea; $9.15bn in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza; and $4.83bn to support regional partners in the Indo-Pacific to push back against the People’s Republic of China.
President Joe Biden hailed the Senate action in a statement on Tuesday, calling the legislation “critical to advancing America’s national security interests”.
But House Speaker Johnson, who has called for the US to end aid to Ukraine, released a statement announcing that he would not bring the bill to the floor even as the Senate debated the legislation.
Mr Paul, a vocal opponent of Ukraine aid and a close ally of Mr Trump, praised the House speaker for holding the line against helping Kyiv defend against Russia’s invading force.
Mr Paul spoke about alleged corruption in Ukraine as a reason to halt aid to the US ally.
