Senate Pushes Through Aid Bill for Multiple Foreign Countries

(UnitedVoice.com) – The fight over whether or not to send foreign aid to America’s allies continues to rage on Capitol Hill. After Republican lawmakers killed the border security bill, senators stripped the immigration policies from the legislation. Now, an overwhelming majority has passed the new version of the legislation.

On February 13, the Senate passed a $95 billion national security package that would provide aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. The measure passed 70 to 29. Twenty-two Conservatives joined Democrats to pass the legislation. Two Democratic senators, Jeff Merkley (OR) and Peter Welch (VT), voted against the bill, as did Independent Senator Bernie Sanders (VT).

The package would provide $14 billion to Israel to continue its fight against Hamas. It would also give $60 billion to Ukraine, which is still defending itself against the Russian invasion. Finally, it would provide the Indo-Pacific with almost $5 billion.

Some Republicans spent the weekend filibustering the legislation. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) filibustered for four hours on February 9. The senator said the country shouldn’t send “billions of dollars to Ukraine while America’s own borders are bleeding.” However, the legislation that was passed once included stringent border security measures, but Lee and his GOP colleagues refused to pass the bipartisan bill after former President Donald Trump allegedly asked them to kill it.

Lee also went on X Spaces with Elon Musk and attacked the Ukrainian government. Lee said they weren’t “choirboys” or “Boy Scouts,” but instead are corrupt. Musk urged lawmakers to stop helping Ukraine because it would just prolong the war and lead to the deaths of more soldiers.

The Senate ended up moving the bill forward with a cloture motion that required a two-thirds majority, and it eventually passed the chamber. The legislation is now headed to the House of Representatives, where it will almost certainly fail, if Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) ever brings it to the floor for a vote at all.