Biden commends Congress for the foreign aid bill and pledges to sign it promptly.
The $95 billion package provides funding to Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine, with Ukraine specifically requiring munitions for its ongoing conflict with Russia.
Joe Biden commended congressional leaders and lawmakers for their efforts in addressing the critical situation at hand. This comes after the bipartisan Senate vote, with a resounding 79 to 18 approval, to allocate $95 billion in aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. The bill also received significant support in the House. Biden plans to sign it into law this Wednesday and initiate the delivery of much-needed weapons to Ukraine this week.
Biden stated, “Congress has passed my legislation to strengthen our national security, conveying a powerful message about American leadership. We stand firmly for democracy, freedom, and against tyranny and oppression.” Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer echoed similar sentiments in his Senate speech, affirming, “Today, the Senate unites in sending a message to the world: America will always defend democracy during times of crisis. We will show Vladimir Putin that betting against America is a grave mistake.”
This victory in Congress was the result of a challenging journey on Capitol Hill, fraught with delays and setbacks. Last week, the House approved four bills expediting funding for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Additionally, a conservative proposal to ban TikTok nationwide was also passed. These measures were consolidated into a single package, which the Senate approved on Tuesday. The legislation includes $60.8 billion for Ukraine’s defense, $26.3 billion for Israel and humanitarian relief in conflict zones, including Gaza, and $8.1 billion to enhance defense against China in the Indo-Pacific region.
Schumer’s speech celebrated the passage of the bill, proclaiming, “After more than six months of hard work and numerous obstacles, America sends a resolute message to the world: we will not abandon you. To our allies, we stand with you. To our adversaries, do not underestimate us. To the world, the United States will do everything to safeguard democracy and our way of life.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed gratitude to the president and congressional leaders for their dedicated work on the aid package, particularly when its approval seemed uncertain. He also thanked the American people for their unwavering support.
“This vote reinforces America’s role as a beacon of democracy and the leader of the free world,” said Zelenskiy during an interview. During a call on Monday, Biden assured Zelenskiy that he would swiftly deliver the urgently needed military aid, including air defense weaponry, following the bill’s passage by the Senate.
Responding to the funding for Taiwan, China urged the US to fulfill its commitment to not support “Taiwan independence” through concrete actions and to cease arming Taiwan in any capacity. This statement was made by a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office.
Taiwan’s military announced on Sunday its intention to collaborate with the US on how to utilize the allocated funds.Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, responded to his country’s share of the funding, stating that it sent a “strong message” to Israel’s enemies.
To gain Republican support, the GOP-controlled House added a provision that would block TikTok in the US unless its Chinese-owned parent company divests from the social media platform within a year. The foreign aid section of the bill largely resembles what the Senate passed in February, but includes a measure mandating the president to seek repayment from Kyiv for approximately $10 billion in economic assistance in the form of “forgivable loans”. This idea was first suggested by Donald Trump, who initially opposed aid to Ukraine.
Although the foreign aid package is similar to the Senate’s measure, several Republican senators who initially voted against it have now changed their stance and approved it on Tuesday.
Lindsey Graham, a longtime defense hawk who previously opposed the Senate’s foreign aid package because it wasn’t combined with border legislation, voted to advance it after endorsing Trump’s loan plan following a visit to Ukraine earlier this year. Graham has also cited Iran’s aerial attack on Israel as a reason to provide aid to the country.
“Israel needs the US Senate now. No excuses,” Graham wrote before voting to advance the bill.
The Senate’s passage of the aid package marks the end of a complicated journey on Capitol Hill that began last year with a request from the White House for fresh funding for Ukraine and Israel, which was dealing with the aftermath of the October 7 cross-border attack by Hamas.
Despite broad congressional support, the effort almost immediately faced resistance from a faction of Republicans who were skeptical of US involvement in foreign affairs and didn’t want to send more aid to Ukraine. Conservatives insisted that funding for foreign countries be paired with legislation to address the influx of people arriving at the US-Mexico border.
When a bipartisan border and national security bill negotiated in the Senate failed, Schumer proceeded to move forward with a vote on the foreign aid bill. It passed overwhelmingly with a 70-29 vote in February, but had no clear path forward in the Republican-controlled House, where Speaker Mike Johnson hesitated while Ukraine suffered battlefield losses. Persuasion from Biden, congressional leaders, European heads of state, participation in high-level intelligence briefings, and prayer eventually convinced Johnson to act, even though it may come at a political cost: his job.
“History judges us for what we do,” Johnson said at an emotional press conference last week after a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers passed the aid package by lopsided margins.In his remarks on Tuesday, Schumer praised Johnson for stepping up to the occasion and also complimented Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate leader. Schumer said that he and McConnell had worked closely together to ensure the passage of the bill.
Schumer stated, “There were many people both inside and outside of Congress who wanted this package to fail, but today those who support democracy are prevailing.”
McConnell has prioritized securing funding for Ukraine’s war effort as part of his efforts to leave a lasting legacy before stepping down as Senate Republican leader. In a lengthy speech on Tuesday, he challenged the growing strain of “America first” isolationism within the Republican party, which is aligned with Trump and his loyalists in Congress.
Later, McConnell addressed the “loud voices at home” and within his own party who prefer a more isolationist approach and emphasized the importance of the US fulfilling its global responsibilities.
“The action taken today is long overdue, but our work doesn’t end here,” stated the Republican leader. “Rebuilding trust in American resolve cannot be accomplished overnight. It requires deliberate efforts to strengthen our democracy.”
News Source:The Guardian