Schumer to bring Biden’s $105B foreign aid package for a vote next week

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., plans on bringing President Joe Biden’s $105 billion national security package to the Senate floor as soon as the beginning of next week, per a letter he posted to X on Sunday.

The proposed bill includes $61.4 billion in aid for Ukraine, $14.3 billion in aid for Israel, $10.6 billion in weapons and military aid, $13.6 billion to the U.S. border, $7.4 billion in security aid in the Indo-Pacific and $9.15 billion in humanitarian aid for Ukraine, Gaza and Israel, per Politico.

In order for Biden’s foreign aid package to pass in the Senate and move forward, it must receive at least 60 votes.

GOP senators oppose lumping foreign aid into one bill

The Wall Street Journal reported that over half of GOP senators oppose funding to Ukraine, and many are hesitant to support one bill covering multiple different issues.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, co-sponsored a bill decoupling the foreign aid at the end of October. He said, “Ukraine and Israel are distinct, important issues, and Congress should have the opportunity to consider and vote on prospective aid packages individually.”

“If the Biden administration’s case for additional Ukraine aid is not strong enough to stand on its own, then packaging them is an insulting request to lay before Congress,” Lee continued. “It is unreasonable for the administration to exploit an aid package for Israel to siphon off billions of taxpayer dollars in yet another blank check for Ukraine.”

The House passed the standalone funding for Israel bill on Nov. 2, but it was blocked by Democratic senators on Nov. 12.

In an X post, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., explained her opposition to Lee’s bill. She said, “We cannot just do half our job. It’s not just wrong — it’s dangerous and it’s naïve.”

In his letter, Schumer added, “Democrats stand ready to work on common-sense solutions to address immigration, but purely partisan hard-right demands, like those in HR2, jeopardize the entire national security package.”

Schumer plans on bringing Biden’s foreign aid package to the Senate floor “as soon as the week of Dec. 4.”

Schumer proposes a way to end Sen. Tuberville’s blockade

In the coming weeks, Schumer will bring up a resolution allowing the Senate to confirm military promotions currently being help up by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., over a Pentagon policy funding travel for abortions for military members and their families.

Schumer said, “The Rules Committee has acted on a resolution that would allow the Senate to quickly confirm the more than 350 military nominations being blocked by Sen. Tuberville.”

The Senate Rules Committee advanced the resolution to end Tuberville’s blockade on Nov. 14, and Schumer will bring the resolution to the floor with the goal of advancing promotions for members of the military by the end of the year.

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., sponsored the resolution, which “temporarily establishes a standing order for the remainder of the 118th Congress to provide for the en bloc consideration of military nominations ... that have been favorably reported by the Senate Armed Services Committee,” per a Senate news release.

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., a member of the Senate Rules Committee, voted against the resolution, describing it as “an ill-advised erosion of the institution of the Senate,” per Alabama Local News. She said, “Fundamentally changing the rules of this institution, even temporarily, sets a dangerous precedent that undermines our nation’s tried-and-true system of checks and balances.”