House Passes $61 Billion Foreign Aid Package for Ukraine After Speaker Johnson Forces Bill to the Floor
A $61 billion aid bill for Ukraine passed a divided House on Saturday as part of a package of aid worth about $95 billion.
The vote on the Ukraine aid bill was 211-112, with 210 Democrats and 101 Republicans supporting the bill and 112 Republicans voting against it, according to the U.K. Guardian.
What at one point had been one bill was broken into separate segments. A proposal to give Israel more than $26 billion passed 365-57, with 36 Democrats and 21 Republicans against the bill.
A bill that called for new sanctions against Russia and Iran and required TikTok to divest from the company that owns it, ByteDance, or be banned, also passed. The vote on that bill was 360-58, according to The Washington Post.
An aid bill targeting Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region passed 385-34, according to CBS.
The voting came amid a backdrop of disaffection with House Speaker Mike Johnson on the part of a group of conservative Republicans.
JUST IN: Congress members wave Ukraine flags in the United States House after they approve another $61 *billion* in military aid for Ukraine.
The bill also gave $26 *billion* to Israel and another $8 *billion* for allies in the Indo-Pacific region bringing the grand total to… pic.twitter.com/SCKilm6nPr
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 20, 2024
“I’m looking forward for them … hearing from the folks back at home, but this is the sellout of America today,” Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said in a CNN interview shared on X.
🚨🇺🇸 MTG: EVERY AMERICAN SHOULD BE FURIOUS WITH THIS VOTE
“I’m actually going to let my colleagues go home and hear from their constituents because I think people have been too obsessed with voting for foreign wars and the murder industry here in America to actually understand… https://t.co/pjArrFmd4J pic.twitter.com/5dYZwIF88f
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 20, 2024
Greene said it’s uncertain when she will act upon the motion to vacate that could lead to a vote to topple Johnson.
“He is already a lame duck,” she said, according to CNBC.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who supports Greene’s motion, said Johnson should resign and “give us time to replace him.”
During the debate, some Republicans said the aid was necessary to live up to America’s obligations.
“Our adversaries are working together to undermine our Western values and demean our democracy,” Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas said, according to The New York Times.
“We cannot be afraid at this moment. We have to do what’s right. Evil is on the march. History is calling and now is the time to act,” he said.
“History will judge us by our actions here today As we deliberate on this vote, you have to ask yourself this question: ‘Am I Chamberlain or Churchill?’” he said.
Today, we received the awaited decision on the US aid package that we long fought for. And a very significant one. Our warriors on the front lines, as well as our cities and villages suffering from Russian terror, will feel it.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted on it… pic.twitter.com/G6z3PxsOMg
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 20, 2024
Johnson had said earlier in the week the aid package was essential.
“My son is going to begin at the Naval Academy this fall. This is a live-fire exercise for me, as it is for so many American families. This is not a game. It’s not a joke. We can’t play politics on this. We have to do the right thing, and I’m going to allow an opportunity for every single member of the House to vote their conscience and their will,” he said.
CNN provided a breakdown of the aid packages. Of the Ukraine package, about $23 billion would replenish U.S. stockpiles, $14 billion would help Ukraine buy advanced weapons and $11 billion would fund current U.S. operations.
The aid package for Israel included more than $13 billion in weapons and $9.2 in humanitarian aid, some of which would go to Gaza.
The Asian package of more than $8 billion would include $2 billion to support Taiwan and other allies.
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