House passes $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan

WASHINGTON — Six months after President Joe Biden first asked for it, the House passed a tweaked version of his emergency aid package for key U.S. allies with strong bipartisan support, sending it back to the Senate for a final vote.

The $95.3 billion supplemental spending measure passed under an unusual procedure in which lawmakers voted on four separate bills that were then put together into one vehicle, replacing the text of a similar Senate-passed bill that came over from that chamber two months ago.

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said a final vote could occur as soon as Tuesday, which would deliver it to Biden’s desk for his signature.

The largest piece, $60.8 billion for Ukraine, passed on a 311-112 vote after lawmakers from both sides of the aisle turned aside GOP amendments intended to gut that bill, including one from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., to strike every dollar from the package.

The $26.4 billion package of aid to Israel and humanitarian aid to Gaza and other conflict zones passed on a 366-58 vote; an $8.1 billion measure to help Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific allies like the Philippines also received strong support, 385-34.

Lastly, the House voted 360-58 to pass a “sidecar” package consisting of some measures related to the foreign aid bills, such as authorizing the seizure of about $5 billion in frozen Russian assets for distribution to Ukraine and toughening sanctions on Russia, Iran and China.

That measure would also force the divestiture of Chinese-owned TikTok or the social media app would be banned in the U.S., and ban data brokers from selling Americans’ personal information to countries such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea or organizations controlled by those governments.

After the House voted, senators reached an agreement to hold two procedural votes at 1 p.m. Tuesday involving the package. One, by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, or a designee, would table a pending related amendment. The other would start the Senate on a path toward clearing the aid measure.

‘Blood and murder’

In the end, the four votes reflected bipartisan support for paying the price of continued U.S. engagement abroad, despite vocal misgivings about it from some on the right and others on the left.

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