The US House of Representatives on Saturday with broad
bipartisan support passed a US$95 billion legislative package providing
security assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, over bitter objections from
Republican hardliners, reports Reuters.
Passage of the long-awaited legislation
was closely watched by US defense contractors, who are in line for huge
contracts to supply equipment for Ukraine and other US partners.
The legislation now proceeds to the Democratic majority
Senate, which passed a similar measure more than two months ago. US leaders
from Democratic President Joe Biden to top Senate Republican Mitch
McConnell had been urging embattled Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to
bring it up for a vote.
The Senate is set to begin considering the House-passed bill
on Tuesday, with some preliminary votes that afternoon. Final passage was
expected sometime next week, which would clear the way for Biden to sign it
into law.
The
bills provide U$60.84 billion to address the conflict in Ukraine, including US$23
billion to replenish US weapons, stocks and facilities; US$26 billion for
Israel, including US$9.1 billion for humanitarian needs, and US$8.12 billion
for the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed his
thanks, saying US lawmakers moved to keep "history on the right
track."
"The vital US aid bill passed today by the House will
keep the war from expanding, save thousands and thousands of lives, and help
both of our nations to become stronger," Zelenskiy said on X.
The Biden administration is already finalizing its next
assistance package for Ukraine so it can announce the new tranche of aid soon
after the bill becomes law in order to meet Ukraine’s urgent battlefield needs,
a White House official said.
Biden,
who had urged Congress since last year to approve the additional aid to
Ukraine, said in a statement, "It comes at a moment of grave urgency, with
Israel facing unprecedented attacks from Iran and Ukraine under continued
bombardment from Russia."
The vote on passage of the Ukraine funding was 311-112.
Significantly, 112 Republicans opposed the legislation, with only 101 in
support.
"Mike Johnson is a lame duck ... he's done,"
far-right Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene told reporters
afterward.
Marjorie has been a leading opponent of helping Ukraine in its
war against Russia and has taken steps that threaten to remove Johnson from
office over this issue. Greene stopped short of doing so on Saturday.
During the vote, several lawmakers waved small Ukrainian
flags as it became clear that element of the package was headed to passage.
Johnson warned lawmakers that was a "violation of decorum."
The
House's actions during a rare Saturday session put on display some cracks in
what generally is solid support for Israel within Congress.
Recent months have seen progressive Democrats express anger
with Israel's government and its conduct of the war in Gaza.
Saturday's vote, in which the Israel aid was passed 366-58,
had 37 Democrats and 21 Republicans in opposition.
Johnson this week chose to ignore ouster threats by hardline
members of his fractious 218-213 majority and push forward the measure that
includes Ukraine funding as it struggles to fight off a two-year Russian
invasion.
The unusual four-bill package also includes a measure that
includes a threat to ban the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok and
the potential transfer of seized Russian assets to Ukraine.
Some
hardline Republicans voicing strong opposition to further Ukraine aid argued
the United States can ill afford it given its rising $34 trillion national
debt. They have repeatedly raised the threat of ousting Johnson, who became
speaker in October after his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, was ousted by party
hardliners.
"It's not the perfect legislation, it's not the
legislation that we would write if Republicans were in charge of both the
House, the Senate, and the White House," Johnson told reporters on Friday.
"This is the best possible product that we can get under these
circumstances to take care of these really important obligations."
Representative
Bob Good, chair of the hardline House Freedom Caucus, told reporters on Friday
that the bills represent a "slide down into the abyss of greater fiscal
crisis and America-last policies that reflect Biden and (Democratic Senate
Majority Leader Chuck) Schumer and (House Democratic leader Hakeem) Jeffries,
and don't reflect the American people."
But Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who
carries huge influence in the party, on April 12 voiced support for
Johnson and in a Thursday social media post said Ukraine's survival
is important for the US.