Senate ready to move forward with aid to Ukraine after battle in the Chamber

The Senate is finally ready to move forward Tuesday with legislation providing aid to Ukraine, bringing Congress to the end of a months-long battle that raised questions about the survival of Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) presidency and the defenses from Kiev.

Senators will hold the first procedural vote on the $95 billion aid package on Tuesday afternoon, beginning a 30-hour period to vote on final approval. That would happen Wednesday night, in the absence of an agreement on amendments, with Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (DN.Y.) increasingly likely to let time stand still.

“The prevailing thinking now is that Schumer will make them work all the time,” one Senate Republican told The Hill.

The lawmaker noted that Schumer is hesitant to grant a vote to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) related to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Sanders said over the weekend that he is pushing for two amendments – one that would impose conditions on military aid to Israel and another to restore funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for its work in Gaza.

If a deal is reached, any amendment vote is expected to fail, as changes to the package would force the House, which is in recess this week, to vote on it again.

While the timing of the final vote is unknown, the outcome is not. The House relief bill is expected to win over nearly all Senate Democrats and about half the Republican conference, passing easily after a tortuous process that got lawmakers to this point.

Kiev proponents and supporters, including Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), have been pounding tables since late last summer, calling for another round of funding for the war-torn country, but were frustrated by the conservative opposition. during much of the process. That sent members down a circuitous path that included a three-month detour in border negotiations, with the Conservatives killing the bipartisan bill as soon as it was released.

But faced with the situation on the ground in Ukraine, where its military is being forced to ration bullets and quickly running out of ammunition against Russia, and in Gaza, where Israel continues its war with Hamas, Johnson eventually discovered the your own path.

“I think he is well-informed and educated on the issues… and has concluded that the right place to land is where he is, and I give him credit for doing that,” said Sen. John Thune (RS.D.). “It’s difficult and it takes a lot of courage nowadays in the Chamber, when your political base there is in a different place.”

The package includes four bills, featuring aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, with a fourth proposal including a potential ban on TikTok and the REPO Act, which would give the green light to the sale of Russian assets that have been seized.

This is despite an ongoing mutiny by conservatives who are furious that Johnson has changed his position that any bill must also deal with the border and has relied on Democratic votes in recent key negotiations, including for the bill. over Ukraine and to finance the government.

“[The conservative base] is absolutely finished with Republican leadership like Mike Johnson, who totally sold us out to the Democrats,” criticized Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Monday, adding that the House speaker “betrayed everyone” and that he should be “held responsible” through a request to vacate.

Greene’s bid to unseat Johnson has just three known supporters at this point and faces a steep climb as Democrats appear ready to back him to keep the gavel.

One of the only questions surrounding the Senate vote this week is whether Republicans will be able to win the conference majority this time. A supplemental vote in February saw just 22 Republicans vote in favor of the bill, with 29 members opposing it just days after the border bill was rejected.

The intraparty battle was exposed Sunday when Sen. Lindsey Graham (RS.C.) attacked Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) during an appearance on the Sunday show over what he said were “garbage” claims that Ukraine they do not have the manpower to deal with Russian forces.

“This is garbage,” Graham told “Fox News Sunday.” “I just got back from there two weeks ago. They changed their recruitment laws. They have all the necessary manpower. They need the weapons.”

“I challenge JD Vance to go to Ukraine and take instructions from the Ukrainian military and talk to the Ukrainian people, and then tell me what you think. … Let’s go back, you can come,” he continued. “Stop talking about things you know nothing about until you go.”

Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky praised Congress’ actions during an interview with “Meet The Press,” saying the move ensures Ukraine has “a chance to win” and “will not be the second Afghanistan.” Just a week earlier, Zelensky noted that Ukrainian defense forces were unable to stop a Russian attack on the largest power plant in the Kiev region because they did not have enough missiles.

“We need it to be approved by the Senate,” Zelensky said. “And so we want to get things done as quickly as possible so that we can get some tangible assistance to the soldiers at the front as soon as possible, and not six months from now, so that they can move forward.”