WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� The House has approved for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies in a rare weekend session as Democrats and Republicans banded together after months of hard-right resistance over renewed American support for repelling
With an overwhelming vote Saturday, the $61 billion in aid for Ukraine passed in a matter of minutes, a strong showing as American lawmakers race to deliver a fresh round of U.S. support to the war-torn ally. Many Democrats cheered on the House floor and waved blue-and-yellow flags of Ukraine.
Aid to Israel and the other allies also won approval by healthy margins, as did a measure to clamp down on , with unique coalitions forming to push the separate bills forward. The whole package will go to the Senate, which could pass it as soon as Tuesday. President Joe Biden has promised to sign it immediately.
鈥淲e did our work here, and I think history will judge it well,鈥� said a , R-La., who risked his own job to marshal the package to passage.
Biden spoke separately with Johnson and Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries to thank them for 鈥減utting our national security first鈥� by advancing the legislation, the White House said.
鈥淚 urge the Senate to quickly send this package to my desk so that I can sign it into law and we can quickly send weapons and equipment to Ukraine to meet their urgent battlefield needs,鈥� the president said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine said he was 鈥済rateful鈥� to both parties in the House and 鈥減ersonally Speaker Mike Johnson for the decision that keeps history on the right track,鈥� he said on X, formerly Twitter.
鈥淭hank you, America!鈥� he said.
The scene in Congress was a striking display of action after months of dysfunction and stalemate fueled by Republicans, who hold the majority but are deeply split over foreign aid, particularly for Ukraine. relied on Democrats to ensure the military and humanitarian funding 鈥� the first major package for Ukraine since December 2022 鈥� won approval.
The morning opened with a somber and serious debate and an unusual sense of purpose as Republican and Democratic leaders united to urge quick approval, saying that would ensure the United States supported its allies and remained a leader on the world stage. The House鈥檚 visitor galleries were crowded with onlookers.
鈥淭he eyes of the world are upon us, and history will judge what we do here and now,鈥� said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
Passage through the House cleared away the biggest hurdle to Biden鈥檚 funding request, first made in October as Ukraine鈥檚 military supplies began to run low.
The GOP-controlled House struggled for months over what to do, first demanding that any assistance for Ukraine be tied to policy changes at the U.S.-Mexico border, only to immediately reject a bipartisan Senate offer along those very lines.
Reaching an endgame has been an that has tested both his resolve and his support among Republicans, with a small but growing number now openly urging his removal from the speaker鈥檚 office. Yet congressional leaders cast the votes as a turning point in history 鈥� an urgent sacrifice as U.S. allies are beleaguered by wars and threats from continental Europe to the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific.
鈥淪ometimes when you are living history, as we are today, you don鈥檛 understand the significance of the actions of the votes that we make on this House floor, of the effect that it will have down the road,鈥� said New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. 鈥淭his is a historic moment.鈥�
Opponents, particularly the hard-right Republicans from Johnson鈥檚 majority, argued that the U.S. should focus on the home front, addressing domestic border security and the nation鈥檚 rising debt load, and they warned against spending more money, which largely flows to American defense manufacturers, to produce weaponry used overseas.
Still, Congress has seen a stream of world leaders visit in recent months, from to Japanese Prime Minister , all but pleading with lawmakers to approve the aid. Globally, the delay left many questioning America鈥檚 commitment to its allies.
At stake has been one of Biden鈥檚 top foreign policy priorities 鈥� halting Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 advance in Europe. After engaging in quiet talks with Johnson, the president quickly endorsed Johnson鈥檚 plan, paving the way for Democrats to give their rare support to clear the procedural hurdles needed for a final vote.
鈥淲e have a responsibility, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans to defend democracy wherever it is at risk,鈥� Jeffries said during the debate.
While aid for Ukraine failed to win a majority of Republicans, several dozen progressive Democrats voted against the bill aiding Israel as they demanded an end to the bombardment of Gaza that has killed thousands of civilians. A group of roughly 20 hard-right Republicans voted against every portion of the aid package, including for allies like Israel and Taiwan that have traditionally enjoyed support from the GOP.
Some Republicans also angrily objected to their counterparts waving Ukrainian flags during the vote. Rep. Kat Cammack, a Florida Republican, said on X she was 鈥渋nfuriated鈥� by the display and was working on legislation to prohibit the flags of foreign nations on the House floor.
At the same time, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has loomed large over the fight, weighing in from afar via social media statements and direct phone calls with lawmakers as he tilts the GOP to a more isolationist stance with his 鈥淎merica First鈥� brand of politics.
Ukraine鈥檚 defense once enjoyed robust, bipartisan support in Congress, but as the war enters its third year, a majority of Republicans opposed further aid. Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., offered an amendment to zero out the money, but it was rejected.
The ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus has derided the legislation as the 鈥淎merica Last鈥� foreign wars package and urged lawmakers to defy Republican leadership and oppose it because the bills did not include border security measures.
Johnson鈥檚 hold on the speaker鈥檚 gavel has also grown more tenuous in recent days as three Republicans, led by Greene, supported a 鈥渕otion to vacate鈥� that can lead to a vote on removing the speaker. Egged on by far-right personalities, she is also being joined by a growing number of lawmakers including Reps. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who is urging Johnson to voluntarily step aside.
The package included several Republican priorities that Democrats endorsed, or at least are willing to accept. Those include proposals that allow the U.S. to seize frozen Russian central bank assets to rebuild Ukraine; impose sanctions on Iran, Russia, China and criminal organizations that traffic fentanyl; and to require the China-based owner of the popular video app TikTok to sell its stake within a year or face a ban in the United States.
Still, the all-out push to get the bills through Congress is a reflection not only of politics, but realities on the ground in Ukraine. Top lawmakers on national security committees, who are privy to classified briefings, have grown gravely concerned about the tide of the war as Russia pummels Ukrainian forces beset by a and .
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced the Senate would begin procedural votes on the package Tuesday, saying, 鈥淥ur allies across the world have been waiting for this moment.鈥�
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, as he prepared to overcome objections from his right flank next week, said, 鈥淭he task before us is urgent. It is once again the Senate鈥檚 turn to make history.鈥�
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