Senate passes Ukraine bill; hurdles remain
WASHINGTON — The Democratic-led US Senate on Tuesday passed a long-sought $95 billion military aid package for Ukraine, although it faced an uncertain path ahead in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives as the leader of the House said he has no intention even of allowing a vote on the bill.
After months of negotiations and political infighting, lawmakers approved the measure in a 70-29 vote in the Senate that exceeded the 60-vote threshold for passage and sent the legislation on to the House. Twenty-two Republicans joined most Democrats to support the bill.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told a news conference later on Tuesday he was confident the bill would pass the House with support from both parties if Republican Speaker Mike Johnson would allow a vote.
Johnson told reporters he has no intention even of allowing a vote on the bill. “I certainly don’t,” he said.
The bill was approved in the Senate earlier on Tuesday. It includes $95 billion in funding, mostly for the security of Ukraine.
“History is watching,” said President Joe Biden, repeating the phrase five times in televised remarks.
Biden also lashed out at his likely challenger in the November election Donald Trump after the former one-term president encouraged Russia to attack NATO members who failed to meet financial commitments.
The bill passed easily in the Senate. But Johnson then said he could not address Ukraine’s security without first having strict new measures to stop illegal migration into the United States across the Mexican border.
Trump — who dominates the Republican Party despite losing the last election and now facing 91 criminal counts in four separate cases — has pulled the strings in Congress throughout the saga.
He opposes helping Ukraine’s fight against Russia, saying he would resolve the conflict in one day if elected. He has openly told lawmakers not to pass US border reforms while campaigning heavily on what he says is a desperate need to fix the border.
Biden has attacked Trump for using the border issue as a political battering ram.
Mayorkas impeached
One week after a failed impeachment vote, the House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, making him the first cabinet member to be impeached in nearly 150 years.
On Feb 6, Mayorkas narrowly survived an impeachment vote in the House, with a vote tally of 214 to 216.
In the latest development, the lower chamber voted 214 to 213, with three Republicans defecting from their party to join Democrats to vote against the impeachment against the Biden administration’s top border official.
About the same number of voters in an ABC Ipsos poll on Sunday blamed Republicans (53 percent), and Democrats (51 percent), but Biden was blamed by 49 percent for the failure to pass border laws — while only 39 percent blamed Trump.