Senate advances $95 billion in aid to Ukraine and Israel after rejecting border deal
The Senate voted Thursday to advance a $95 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel.
The 67-32 vote came after hours of deliberation among Senate Republicans, who tanked a vote Wednesday to pass the foreign aid along with a bipartisan border security deal.
But after that package failed, some Senate Republicans said they could only support the standalone foreign aid with assurances that they would have the chance to add new border provisions and others raised concerns with the distribution of aid. Eventually, 17 Republicans joined with Democrats to advance the aid on its own – though additional changes are expected.
"This is a good first step. This bill is essential for our national security, for the security of our friends in Ukraine, in Israel, for humanitarian aid for innocent civilians in Gaza, and for Taiwan," Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor Thursday.
He pledged to continue to work with Republicans to tweak the package: "We are going to keep working on this bill until the job is done."
The Thursday vote advanced a bill that would send $60 billion to Ukraine, which has been beating back attacks from Russia since early 2022. It would also appropriate $14 billion to Israel, which has been targeting Hamas in Gaza, $9 billion for humanitarian aid in Gaza and elsewhere, and nearly $5 billion for Taiwan.
The package still must undergo a final majority vote in the Senate chamber, and more changes can be considered as lawmakers consider the proposal. However, Thursday's vote clears the most significant hurdle in the chamber – clearing the 60-vote threshold necessary to overcome the filibuster.
If it survives the Senate, it is unclear how the package would fare in the House, where Republicans proposed (and failed to pass) standalone aid for Israel. Republicans in both chambers have divisions over additional support for Ukraine, but there is a stronger cohort of isolationist-leaning members in the House.
Proponents of aid to Ukraine argue that it is a bulwark for democracy in the region, and that a Russian victory would open the floodgates for additional challenges to democracies in Europe. Critics of additional aid fear extended U.S. involvement in a foreign war and growing the federal debt.
Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, is one of several Republican senators who has argued it is in the United States' best interest not to continue to support Ukraine's war effort.
"The way this process unfolded − secret negotiation for months, weak border policy, abandonment of the border for Ukraine immediately − confirms every worst fear our voters have about Washington," he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, ahead of the vote Thursday. "A vote to fund Ukraine today is a middle finger to voters."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Senate advances $95 billion in standalone Ukraine, Israel aid
