The U.S. Senate has passed a long-sought $95.34 billion foreign aid package with assistance for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, sending the bill to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson has suggested that he may not plan to bring it to the floor for a vote.
“The Senate on Tuesday morning passed the $95 billion foreign military aid bill that includes money for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan after a rare overnight session where Republican opponents of the legislation argued against it.
The bill passed in a vote of 70-29, with 22 Republicans and nearly every Democrat voting to pass the legislation. Only two Democrats — Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) — voted against the massive spending package. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) also voted no.
Packed into the $95 billion legislation is about $60 billion for the proxy war in Ukraine, $14 billion for the Israeli onslaught in Gaza, and $4.8 billion for Taiwan and other spending on the Indo-Pacific region to prepare for a future war with China”. -Dave DeCamp, Antiwar
With Republican opposition in the House threatening to kill the Senate emergency spending package, senior Democratic senators are reportedly considering the use of a discharge petition, which would require support from at least 218 House members, in order to bring the overseas aid bill to the floor for a vote.