The Senate on Tuesday moved to approve a $95.3 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan that had been stalled for months.
The bill, a version of which passed the Senate in February with bipartisan support, cleared a key procedural hurdle Tuesday by a vote of 80-19, reflecting broad bipartisan support.
To get around opposition from right-wing Republicans in the House of Representatives, Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, used a complicated plan to pass it over the weekend. He divided the package into three parts for each country – allowing different coalitions to support each one – and added a fourth bill that includes a new round of sanctions against Iran and a measure banning the sale of TikTok by its Chinese owner or a ban requires it in the United States. Once passed, all four were combined into one bill and sent to the Senate.
Final Senate approval in a vote expected as early as Tuesday evening would send it to President Biden for his signature.
Here’s what the foreign aid package includes:
$60.8 billion for Ukraine
With a total of $60.8 billion, military financing for Ukraine represents the largest part of the package. A significant amount is earmarked for “replenishing American defense stocks,” and billions are allocated for the purchase of U.S. defense systems, of which Ukrainian officials have been saying for months that they are urgently needed.
The bill largely mirrors the Senate’s original package, but the House added a requirement for the Biden administration to send more U.S.-made missiles, so-called long-range ATACMS, to Kyiv. The United States previously supplied Ukraine with a cluster munition version of the missiles after President Biden overcame his longstanding reluctance to provide the weapons and allowed the Pentagon to secretly deliver them.
Another provision taken up by the House would direct the president to require the repayment of $10 billion in economic aid, a concept supported by former President Donald J. Trump, who has pushed for any aid for Kiev takes the form of a loan. But it would also allow the president to forgive these loans starting in 2026.
$26.4 billion for Israel and aid for the Palestinians
The package would send about $15 billion in military aid to Israel as the country continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and weighs a response to attacks from Iran. The focus is on defense capabilities, with more than $5 billion allocated to replenish the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Iron Beam defense systems. Another $2.4 billion will go to ongoing US military operations in the region.
Another $9 billion would be used for “global humanitarian assistance,” including for civilians in Gaza. Like the Senate’s original bill, the package would prevent funds from flowing to UNRWA, the main United Nations agency providing aid to Palestinians in Gaza. It sets no conditions for military aid, a sticking point for some left-wing Democrats who are more vocal in calling for the Israeli government to change its military tactics in Gaza.
$8.1 billion for Taiwan and other allies
A third part would provide $8.1 billion in aid to Taiwan and other U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific region to counter China. The House added a provision that would allow the Pentagon to quickly equip Taiwan with more offensive weapons and allocate billions more to purchase advanced U.S. weapons technology as the U.S. and Taiwan governments continue to expand their alliances to deter China from invading the country island.
A sweetener bill
A fourth part of the package added by the House includes several Republican priorities that Mr. Johnson has put together to make the relief package more palatable to members of his own party.
Part would redirect funds from confiscated Russian assets to offset American aid to Ukraine. Republicans who support the plan say it will ensure that Russian President Vladimir V. Putin is held financially accountable for the war.
American allies, including France and Germany, were skeptical about the viability of such a move under international law. Instead, they are pushing for a solution in which the proceeds from interest on the nearly $300 billion of frozen Russian assets are passed directly to Ukraine, either in the form of loans or as collateral for borrowing.
The bill would also impose sanctions on Iranian and Russian officials and further restrict the export of U.S. technology used to make Iranian drones.
And it contains legislation that would force the parent company of TikTok, the popular social media app, to sell the platform or face a ban in the United States. It mirrors a bill the House passed last month. But it includes an option to extend the deadline for a sale to nine months from the original six, and it would allow the president to extend it another 90 days if progress was made toward a sale.
Catie Edmondson and Alan Rappeport contributed reporting.
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2024-04-23 21:41:56
www.nytimes.com
