House passes $95B for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan
The House voted resoundingly on Saturday to approve $95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., put his job on the line to advance the long-stalled aid package by marshaling support from mainstream Republicans and Democrats.
In four back-to-back votes, overwhelming bipartisan coalitions of lawmakers approved fresh rounds of funding for the three U.S. allies, as well as another bill meant to sweeten the deal for conservatives that could result in a nationwide ban of
TikTok.
The scene on the House floor reflected both the broad support in Congress for continuing to help the Ukrainian military beat back Russia, and the extraordinary political risk taken by Johnson to defy the anti-interventionist wing of his party, which had sought to thwart the measure. Minutes before the vote on assistance for Ukraine, Democrats began to wave small Ukrainian flags on the House floor, as several Republicans jeered.
The legislation includes $60 billion for Ukraine; $26 billion for Israel and humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones, including the Gaza Strip; and $8 billion for the IndoPacific region. It would direct the president to seek
repayment from the Ukrainian government of $10 billion in economic assistance, a concept supported by former President Donald
Trump, who had pushed for any aid to Ukraine to be in the form of a loan. But it also would allow the president to forgive those loans starting in 2026.
It also contained a measure to help pave the way to selling off frozen Russian sovereign assets to help fund the Ukrainian war effort, and a new round of sanctions on Iran.
The Senate is expected to pass the legislation as early as Tuesday and send it to President Joe Biden’s desk, capping its tortured journey through Congress.
“Our adversaries are working together to undermine our Western values and demean our democracy,” Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said Saturday as the House debated the measure. “We cannot be afraid at this moment. We have to do what’s right. Evil is on the march. History is calling and now is the time to act.”
“History will judge us by our actions here today,” he continued. “As we deliberate on this vote, you have to ask yourself this question: ‘Am I Chamberlain or Churchill?’ ”
The vote was 311-112 in favor of the aid to Ukraine, with a majority of Republicans — 112 — voting against it and one, Rep. Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania, voting “present.” The House approved assistance to Israel 366-58, and to Taiwan 385-34 with Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., voting “present.”
The bill to impose sanctions on Iran and require the sale of TikTok by its Chinese owner or ban the app in the United States passed 360-58.