House approves billions in aid for Ukraine and Israel

WASHINGTON — The House quickly approved $95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies in a rare Saturday session, with Democrats and Republicans uniting after months of political turmoil over renewed American support to repeal the invasion of Russia.

With overwhelming support, the $61 billion in aid to Ukraine represented a strong show of American support as lawmakers race to provide a new round of U.S. support to the war-torn ally. Some lawmakers applauded on the House floor and waved blue and yellow Ukrainian flags.

The unusual process, with each bill having its own vote, allowed unique coalitions to form around the bills, pushing them forward. The entire package will go to the Senate, where approval in the coming days is almost guaranteed. President Joe Biden has promised to sign it immediately.

“We did our job here, and I think history will judge it well,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who is risking his own job to marshal the package for passage.

Biden, in a statement, thanked Johnson, Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and the bipartisan coalition of lawmakers “who voted to put our national security first.”

“I 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 its urgent battlefield needs,” the president said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine said he was “grateful” to both parties in the House and “personally to President Mike Johnson for the decision that keeps history on the right track,” he said on X.

“Thank you, America!” he said on X, formerly Twitter.

The weekend scene presented a stunning show of congressional action after months of dysfunction and gridlock fueled by Republicans, who hold the majority but are deeply divided over foreign aid, especially to Ukraine as it struggles against Russia’s invasion. . Johnson relied on Democratic support to ensure the military and humanitarian package was approved.

The morning began with a serious, somber debate and an unusual sense of purpose, with Republican and Democratic leaders united in calling for swift passage, saying it would ensure the United States supported its allies and remained a leader on the world stage. The House’s visitor galleries were full of curious people.

“The eyes of the world are upon us, and history will judge what we do here and now,” said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

House approval cleared the biggest obstacle to Biden’s funding request, first made in October as military supplies from Ukraine began to run low. The GOP-controlled House struggled for months over what to do, first demanding that any assistance be tied to policy changes to the U.S.-Mexico order, only to immediately reject a bipartisan Senate offer to that effect.

Reaching an endgame was a painful task for Johnson, one that tested both his resolve and his support among Republicans, with a small but growing number now openly calling for his removal as speaker of the House. However, congressional leaders viewed the votes as a turning point in history – an urgent sacrifice at a time when US allies are besieged by wars and threats from continental Europe to the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific.

“Sometimes, when you are living through history, as we are today, you don’t understand the meaning of the actions of the votes we take on this House floor, the effect that it will have on the future,” said the New York congressman. . Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “This is a historic moment.”

Opponents, especially far-right Republicans of Johnson’s majority, argued that the US should focus on the home front, addressing internal border security and the country’s growing debt burden, and warned against spending more money, which largely flows to American defense manufacturers. to produce weapons used abroad.

Still, Congress has seen a series of visits from world leaders in recent months, from Zelenskyy to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, practically begging lawmakers to approve the aid. Overall, the delay has left many questioning America’s commitment to its allies.

At stake is also one of Biden’s main foreign policy priorities – stopping Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advance in Europe. After holding quiet talks with Johnson, the president quickly approved Johnson’s plan, clearing the way for Democrats to lend their rare support to clear the procedural hurdles needed for a final vote.

“We have a responsibility, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans, to defend democracy wherever it is at risk,” Jeffries said during the debate.

While aid to Ukraine will likely win majorities in both parties, a significant number of progressive Democrats are expected to vote against the bill aiding Israel, while demanding an end to the bombing of Gaza that has killed thousands of civilians.

At the same time, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has stood out in the fight, intervening from afar through statements on social media and direct phone calls with lawmakers while tilting the Republican Party toward a more isolationist stance with his “America First” approach. place”. ” policy brand.

Ukraine’s defense once enjoyed robust, bipartisan support in Congress, but as the war enters its third year, a large portion of Republicans oppose more aid. Trump ally, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., offered an amendment to zero out the money, but it was rejected.

At one point, Trump’s opposition essentially doomed the Senate’s bipartisan proposal on border security. Last week, Trump also published a social media post that questioned why European nations were not giving Ukraine more money, although he spared Johnson from criticism and said Ukraine’s survival was important.

Still, the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus derided the legislation as the “Last America” foreign wars package and urged lawmakers to defy Republican leadership and oppose it because the bills do not include border security measures.

Johnson’s grip on the speaker’s gavel has also become more tenuous in recent days as three Republicans, led by Greene, supported a “motion to vacate” that could lead to a vote on removing the speaker. also joined a growing number of lawmakers, including Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who is urging Johnson to step aside voluntarily, and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.

The package includes several Republican priorities that Democrats endorse, or at least are willing to accept. These include proposals that would allow the US to seize frozen Russian central bank assets to rebuild Ukraine; impose sanctions on Iran, Russia, China and criminal organizations trafficking fentanyl; and legislation that requires the China-based owner of popular video app TikTok to sell its stake within a year or face a ban in the United States.

Still, the all-out effort to get the bills passed in Congress is a reflection not just of politics but also of the reality on the ground in Ukraine. Top lawmakers on national security committees, who have access to classified information, have become gravely concerned about the situation in recent weeks. Russia has increasingly used satellite-guided glide bombs – which allow planes to drop them from a safe distance – to attack Ukrainian forces suffering from troop and ammunition shortages.