Senate to vote on package of aid to Ukraine and Israel in coming days
The Senate will vote on a package of aid to Ukraine and Israel in the coming days (photo: GettyImages)
The aid package to Ukraine and Israel will be brought to a vote in the coming days, according to the Senate website and The Hill.
A bipartisan coalition of senators on Monday night took another step toward passing funding for Ukraine, Israel and other defense priorities, approving three procedural motions over the staunch opposition of conservatives who have pulled out all the stops to delay the bill.
Senators voted 66-33 to end dilatory debate on the $95 billion package, scheduling a final vote for Tuesday or Wednesday to send it to the House of Representatives, where its future remains uncertain.
Democratic and Republican senators who voted to advance the measure hope strong bipartisan support will give it enough political momentum to spur Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to bring it to the House floor.
The debate on the bill spilled over the weekend and into a scheduled two-week recess, laying bare deep divisions within the Senate Republican conference over the war in Ukraine and how to respond to the crisis at the border.
It also revealed the animosity Senate conservatives, emboldened by former President Trump, hold toward their leadership.
Senators on Monday cast their fourth and fifth votes to advance the package, which includes $60 billion for Ukraine; $14 billion for Israel; $9 billion for humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Ukraine; and $4.8 billion to support allies in the Indo-Pacific.
Senate leaders advanced the package without a bipartisan border reform deal that had been negotiated by Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), which GOP conservatives said fell well short of the strict reforms in the House-passed Secure the Border Act, H.R. 2.
Conservative senators led by Cruz, Lee, and Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) opposed the border deal, arguing that it would exacerbate the migration issue.
Trump, the likely Republican nominee, also urged Republicans to reject it, telling allies he didn’t want to give Biden a political win.
Many Republican senators who voted against advancing money for Ukraine and Israel said they wanted a chance to amend the package with stronger border security reforms.
The Senate is expected to vote on final passage of the legislation either Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on whether conservatives insist on using all 30 hours of debate at their disposal.
