US Senators voted on Sunday about a bill to move forward with a $95 billion aid package to send funding to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. The vote was 67 to 27, including the support of 18 Republican Senators, despite former President Donald Trump’s opposition. If the bill is passed by the Senate, it will be moved on to the House. From there, it is unclear when House Speaker Mike Johnson will hold a vote – or if he even will. 

If it is passed, this aid package will include money to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia, assistance for Israel, and humanitarian support for civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Ukraine. 

Many Republican Senators are now divided. Many of them are pushing to make changes to the bill. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is hoping that Democrats will reach some kind of agreement with Republicans about these changes. However, it’s currently hard to tell when that will happen. 

Republicans also recently blocked a broader version of this bill which would have combined the foreign aid with a bipartisan border deal. They were actually first pushing for this version of the bill, but later rejected it after a strong opposition by Trump and many House Republicans. 

Former President Donald Trump has been very vocal about his opinions throughout this process, saying that the US should stop providing any foreign aid unless it is given as a loan. “WE SHOULD NEVER GIVE MONEY ANYMORE WITHOUT THE HOPE OF A PAYBACK, OR WITHOUT “STRINGS” ATTACHED. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA SHOULD BE “STUPID” NO LONGER!” he posted on Truth Social on Saturday. Many Republican Senators are agreeing with this opinion. 

The passing of this bill could be crucial for those who would receive funding. Discussion will continue, and some Senators believe that the bill could be passed as early as the middle of the week. 

Cites

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/10/politics/trump-foreign-aid-loan-senate-package/index.html?sp_amp_linker=1*1t95ie8*amp_id*X3pGVWQ0SnVPcVFDYi0zeVA5cHQ4WXdxM1FuOGtrZWhKZ2wyRlFvRHVhUE9vbWtHRF9IWXdDcXhpT2MtczY5Zg..

https://amp-cnn-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/02/11/politics/senate-weekend-work-foreign-aid-package/index.html?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQIUAKwASCAAgM%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17077059237899&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2024%2F02%2F11%2Fpolitics%2Fsenate-weekend-work-foreign-aid-package%2Findex.html

https://www-cnbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2024/02/11/senators-test-israel-ukraine-bill-support-vote-on-super-bowl-sunday.html?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQIUAKwASCAAgM%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17077059237899&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnbc.com%2F2024%2F02%2F11%2Fsenators-test-israel-ukraine-bill-support-vote-on-super-bowl-sunday.html

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/11/ukraine-aid-package-approval-gains-momentum-after-key-us-senate-vote