The Senate sent a $95 billion foreign aid package for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan to the president’s desk Tuesday — a long-awaited result after months of congressional haggling over whether to provide funding for the allies.
Though the aid passed with bipartisan support, 79-18, the political ramifications will be felt throughout the Capitol. It’s a win for Democrats and defense-focused Republicans on the critical issue of Ukraine aid, but a swath of conservatives are incensed with party leadership for allowing the bill through.
Some opponents of the bill attempted to delay passage on Tuesday with floor speeches, but senators were only permitted up to an hour each to speak. And there weren’t that many senators eager to participate — particularly given that this week was originally slated to be a recess week, and many members were ready to get home.
Adding to the woes of Ukraine-aid critics, Republican support for this round of foreign aid increased compared to a few months ago. When the Senate voted on a similar deal in February, it passed 70-29.
That earlier version of the bill stalled in the House. But Speaker Mike Johnson introduced his own rendition of the legislation, which segmented aid for each ally into individual votes before lumping the bills back together into a single package for the Senate.
As Congress balked for months, Ukraine began fading in its war with Russia and worries grew that the delay in assistance was costing the country on the battlefield.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he believes that “when it became clear that Russia could be at Poland’s border in a year, if we didn’t help, it started changing things.”
“It strengthened the resolve of the mainstream Republicans,” he added.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, for his part, has remained a stalwart supporter of funding Israel and Ukraine despite resistance from within his own conference. He acknowledged Tuesday there had been some difficulty in garnering Republican support.
Still, he didn’t mince words in his applause for the outcome.
“This was a really, really big day for America and for the rest of the world that actually elects their leaders,” McConnell told POLITICO. “When you’ve been here as long as I have, you’ve had a few big moments. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bigger one than this in terms of the level of importance to our own country and to our place in the world.”
