U.S. Senate passes $95B aid bill for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, House approval awaited
Taiwan #Taiwan
The U.S. Senate passed the bill that provides $95 billion in aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan on Feb. 12, $60 billion of which is earmarked for Kyiv.
The document must now be approved by the House of Representatives. Its speaker, Mike Johnson, earlier criticized the upper chamber’s support for the package bill, making it clear that it could be blocked.
In order to send the bill to the House of Representatives, lawmakers needed 60 votes. 70 senators voted in favor and 29 against.
Blocking aid to Ukraine: What is known
On Dec. 6, the bill funding aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan for approximately $106 billion failed procedural voting in the US Senate due to Republican demands for stricter immigration policies. They sought to strengthen the border with Mexico and only consider it in connection with aid to Ukraine and Israel.
Read also: U.S. Senate passes $118 billion package including aid to Ukraine, House Republicans call it ‘DOA’
On Jan. 19, Johnson revealed that he often discusses border reinforcement with former US President Donald Trump, including conversations on the eve of Biden’s meeting dedicated to the border and aid to Ukraine.
On Jan. 25, the Financial Times reported that Republicans, influenced by Trump, who demands the party reject a compromise on immigration, are succumbing.
On Jan. 31, in his first official address as Speaker, Johnson stated that the Senate agreement under discussion is not sufficient to prevent migrants from Mexico entering the US. He had previously hinted that he would not unblock aid to Ukraine, calling the Senate agreement “dead on arrival.”
On Feb. 5, the US Senate unveiled a $118 billion package, including $60 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion in aid to Israel, nearly $5 billion to allies in the Asia-Pacific region, $20 billion for strengthening immigration policy, and humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Read also: US Senate holds procedural vote on aid bill for Ukraine
On Feb. 6, Joe Biden accused the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, of trying to intimidate Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate so that they would not vote for the bill on Ukraine.
On Feb. 7, the US Senate did not support consideration of a bipartisan package of border reforms, which includes aid for Ukraine and Israel. The corresponding draft law did not receive a sufficient number of votes during the procedural voting.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine