The House of Representatives has passed a package of bills providing $95 billion in aid for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific, clearing the way for consideration and passage in the Senate — despite a growing movement from House Speaker Mike Johnson's own party to remove him.
The package, President Joe Biden said in a statement following its passage, "will deliver critical support to Israel and Ukraine; provide desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, and other locations impacted by conflicts and natural disasters around the world; and bolster security and stability in the Indo-Pacific."
"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 their urgent battlefield needs," Biden added.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., quickly took action Saturday to tee up the first vote on the package on Tuesday.
"The Senate stands ready to take the next step on the national security supplemental," the New York Democrat wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The bill providing $8.1 billion in aid to Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region — a point of emphasis in recent days, as President Joe Biden met last week with leaders from Japan and the Philippines to discuss security in the South China Sea — passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, 385-34, with all negative votes coming from Republicans.
The Ukraine aid bill also passed overwhelmingly, 310-112, despite a push from some House Republicans — including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who offered an amendment to remove funding for Ukraine that was defeated with a joint effort of both parties. That bill provides $60.8 billion in aid to the war-torn country as it seeks pushes back on Russia’s renewed invasion. All House Democrats were united in passing the bill, joined by 110 Republicans; all 112 no votes were from Republicans.
"This is a moment to choose," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Saturday during debate on the bill. "You can choose democracy or autocracy. We can choose freedom or tyranny. We can choose truth or propaganda. We can choose Ukraine or Russia. We can choose [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy or we can choose [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. We can choose a democratic ally or a sworn enemy. This is the time to choose."
As the clock for the vote ran out, cheers went up, and members of the House began waving small Ukrainian flags, for which they were quickly admonished by the chair. (The chair’s instructions were ignored shortly after — the flags were raised and waved again when the result of the vote was announced.)
Zelenskyy expressed his appreciation to Congress — and to Johnson, specifically — shortly after the bill was passed.
"Democracy and freedom will always have global significance and will never fail as long as America helps to protect it. The vital U.S. aid bill passed today by the House will keep the war from expanding, save thousands and thousands of lives, and help both of our nations to become stronger," Zelenskyy said.
The package of bills was capped by the passage of $26.4 billion in aid to Israel, which also includes humanitarian aid to Gaza. It, similarly, won overwhelming support, approved with a 366-58 vote.
Biden celebrated the passage of the aid package, calling it a "clear message about the power of American leadership on the world stage."
"At this critical inflection point, they came together to answer history’s call, passing urgently-needed national security legislation that I have fought for months to secure," Biden said in a statement. "It comes at a moment of grave urgency, with Israel facing unprecedented attacks from Iran, and Ukraine under continued bombardment from Russia."
Greene, however, was furious with Johnson, telling reporters that this was the "third betrayal" by the House speaker, following hs facilitation of both legislation to fund the federal government and the recent reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
"Then he did this b******* here on the House floor, this foreign war package that does nothing for America," Greene said outside the U.S. Capitol on Saturday.
The far-right Georgia congresswoman is leading the charge of House Republicans seeking to vacate the speakership and remove Johnson from his seat — less than a year after he replaced now-former Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who was removed as speaker by far-right Republicans who found him insufficiently conservative and untrustworthy, in large part due to his willingness to compromise with Democrats.
Her retribution will have to wait until at least April 29, when the House is expected back in session.
While all Democrats voted in favor of the Ukraine aid bill, the one providing funding to Israel did not enjoy such resounding support from the minority party. A group of nearly 20 House Democrats — Reps. Joaquin Castro, Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett of Texas; Nydia Velazquez and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York; Pramila Jayapal of Washington; Ro Khanna, Mark Takano, Barbara Lee and Judy Chu of California; Becca Balint of Vermont; Jim McGovern of Massachusetts; Earl Blumenauer of Oregon; Hank Johnson of Georgia; Andre Carson of Indiana; Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey; Jesus Garcia and Jonathan Jackson of Illinois; and Jill Tokuda of Hawaii — said that their votes against the Israel aid bill were driven by a "moral imperative to find another path."
"If Congress votes to continue to supply offensive military aid, we make ourselves complicit in this tragedy. Our votes against H.R. 8034 are votes against supplying more offensive weapons that could result in more killings of civilians in Rafah and elsewhere. We believe strongly in Israel’s right to self-defense and have joined colleagues previously in affirming our shared commitment," the statement reads.
"All of us support strengthening the Iron Dome and other defense systems and we are committed to a sovereign, safe, and secure future for Israel. To protect that future, we believe the United States must help achieve a ceasefire that allows hostages to be freed, humanitarian aid to be delivered, and peace talks to begin...Most Americans do not want our government to write a blank check to further Prime Minister Netanyahu’s war in Gaza. The United States needs to help Israel find a path to win the peace.”
The House also passed a bill that would ban or force the sale of TikTok amid bipartisan concerns about national security regarding the popular video app's Chinese parent company. That was included in a package that also included sanctions on Iran. The measure passed 360-58.
The foreign aid package now goes to the Senate. Should it pass muster, Biden has pledged to sign the package into law soon after it hits his desk.