U.S. Senate approves Ukraine, Israel aid, but bill faces tough path through House
Ukraine sympathizers fly a Ukrainian flag outside as the Senate works through the weekend on a $95.3 billion foreign aid bill with assistance for Ukraine and Israel at the U.S. Capitol on February 11, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Roberto Schmidt | Getty Images
U.S. Senators voted early Tuesday to approve a $95 billion aid package providing funds for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, but its future remains uncertain amid intense lawmaker opposition.
The bill passed by 70-29 votes in the Democrat-led legislature, according to NBC News. It must still be approved by the Republican-led House of Representatives.
The package includes $61 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel and $4.83 billion to support partners in the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan, along with facilities for humanitarian aid.
Republicans have said the bill must include provisions on U.S. border security.
House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday said that the latest iteration of the bill had failed to meet those demands, adding it “should have gone back to the drawing board… to include real border security provisions that would actually held end the ongoing catastrophe.”
“Instead, the Senate’s foreign aid bill is silent on the most pressing issue facing our country,” he said in a statement at the time, adding that “the House will have to continue to work its own will on these important matters.”
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