The US Senate is close to the final vote on the $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
The Hill and Ukrainian Ambassador to the USA Oksana Markarova write about it.
With a majority of 66 votes against the required minimum of 60, the Senate cleared the last procedural hurdle and limited debate on the bill to 30 hours, after which the document can be put to a vote. That is, senators ended a protracted debate on the aid package, setting a final vote for Feb. 14 to send it to the House of Representatives.
Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer may propose a final vote as early as February 13.
Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson criticized the package, expressing doubts about its passage in the chamber. Both houses of the US Congress must approve the legislation before President Joe Biden can sign it into law.
- US military aid to Ukraine was exhausted at the end of 2023. Last year in October, Joe Biden submitted a request to Congress for the allocation of $106 billion, of which more than $61 billion is intended for Ukraine, mostly for the purchase of weapons from the United States. The rest of the funds from the package were intended for Israel, aid to the Asia-Pacific region, humanitarian activities in the Gaza Strip, etc.
- However, the request was not approved due to political disputes. Then representatives of Congress and the White House began to work on the text of the bill, which, in particular, would contain the demand of Republicans to strengthen the security of the US borders to stop migration from Mexico. Already on February 7, he did not get the necessary 60 votes in the Senate.
- Subsequently, an alternative draft law appeared on the $95.34 billion package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, of which $61 billion is provided for Ukraine.