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Senate passes $95B foreign aid package
On Tuesday night, the Senate passed a $95 billion foreign aid package to assist Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. President Biden is expected to sign the bill.
Late on Tuesday night, the Senate approved a significant foreign aid package valued at $95 billion, providing considerable financial support to Ukraine, Israel, and other key U.S. allies. This package had already received approval from the House on Saturday and earned substantial bipartisan backing in the Senate, passing with a 79-18 vote.
The legislation not only directs billions of dollars towards military and humanitarian aid for several nations but also includes provisions for various foreign policy measures. One notable policy requires the China-based owner of the widely-used video app TikTok to divest its share within a year or face prohibition in the United States.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) gives photographers a thumbs up as he arrives at a media availability following the passage of the national security supplemental in Washington, DC on April 23, 2024.
Structured as a comprehensive bundle, the aid package consolidates multiple bills into a single legislative effort, reflecting the U.S.'s continued commitment to its international partners.
Despite its broad support in Congress since President Joe Biden's initial request last summer, the package faced significant challenges. It stirred controversy among an increasing number of conservative lawmakers who are skeptical of U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts and believe Congressional focus should instead shift to domestic issues, such as the migration surge at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Biden is anticipated to promptly sign the recently passed legislation, initiating the expedited process to allocate and distribute the designated funds to Ukraine.
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U.S. officials said the Pentagon is ready to send an initial $1 billion package of military aid to Ukraine.
What is in the $95 billion aid package?
Ukraine
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About $61 billion will be allocated to support Ukraine.
The package includes an array of ammunition, including air defense munitions and large amounts of artillery rounds that are much in demand by Ukrainian forces, as well as armored vehicles and other weapons. Anonymous U.S. officials said Tuesday some of the weapons will be delivered very quickly to the battlefront — at times within days — but it could take longer for other items to arrive.
The money is earmarked for the purchase of weapons from the U.S. as well as $9 billion in economic assistance to Ukraine in the form of "forgivable loans."
Israel
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More than $26 billion in aid will be used to support and provide Israel with humanitarian relief for the citizens of Gaza.
About $4 billion will be dedicated to replenishing Israel’s missile defense systems and an additional $2.4 billion will be used for current U.S. military operations in the regions.
Indo-Pacific
The investments to counter China and ensure a strong deterrence in the region come to about $8 billion.
The overall amount of money and the investments in the two bills is about the same with a quarter of funds used to replenish weapons and ammunition systems that had been provided to Taiwan.
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TikTok and other foreign policy priorities
This bill includes a raft of foreign policy proposals, including legislation to allow the U.S. to seize and transfer an estimated $5 billion in Russian assets to a "Ukraine Support Fund."
In an effort to gain more votes, Republicans in the House majority also included legislation that would ban the video app TikTok if its China-based owner, ByteDance, does not sell it.
This story was reported from Detroit. The Associated Press and Catherine Stoddard contributed.