The US House of Representatives, after months of delays, has finally approved $95 billion in crucial needed military aid to Ukraine, as well as other allies including Israel and Taiwan.
Mike Johnson, the 56th speaker of the United States House of Representatives, put forward a number of bills for debate despite fierce opposition within his own Republican Party, many of whom oppose increased defence spending on Ukraine, but in a bipartisan vote, 210 Democrats and 101 Republicans joined in support of Ukraine.
The Senate is set to begin consideration of the bill on Tuesday, and will hold several preliminary votes in the afternoon. A final version of the bill was expected sometime next week, which would open the door for President Joe Biden to sign it. Biden, in a statement after the vote passed, said:
Today, members of both parties in the House voted to advance our national security interests and send 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.
He also called on the Senate to quickly pass the bill so he could “sign it into law and we can quickly send weapons and equipment to Ukraine to meet their urgent battlefield needs.”
Voting began hours earlier than planned in Saturday’s extraordinary session, which caused the House of Representatives’ scheduled recess to be delayed. The House broke into applause when the Ukraine bill was passed, but Speaker Marc Molinaro of New York warned members not to wave Ukrainian flags.
The Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, previously warned that Kyiv would undoubtedly “lose the war” without US assistance as its armed forces struggled with ammunition and air defence shortages, while Russia is trying to gain a growing firepower advantage as Congress shies away. Shortly after the bill passed, Zelensky released a statement expressing his gratitude:
The vital US 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. Just peace and security can only be attained through strength. We hope that bills will be supported in the Senate and sent to President Biden’s desk. Thank you, America!
Members voted on a package totalling about $95 billion, but which was split into four separate bills because Johnson effectively separated the Ukraine vote from funding for Israel, which enjoys broader support among both Democrats and Republicans. The reason for separating the bill is that Johnson sought to give members of his own Republican Party the opportunity to vote their conscience on parts they disagreed.
The $95 billion total includes about $61 billion for Ukraine (with most of the funding going to replenish US ammunition); $26 billion for Israel; $8 billion for US allies in the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan; and $9 billion for humanitarian aid to civilians in war zones such as Haiti, Sudan and Gaza, although the package also includes a ban on direct US funding of the United Nations Agency for Palestinian relief efforts.
Of a total of $60.7 billion, about $23 billion would be used to replenish its military stockpile, opening the door for future US military supplies to Ukraine. Another $14 billion would go to the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, an initiative under which the Pentagon is buying advanced new weapons systems for Ukraine’s military directly from US defence contractors. The package largely mirrors the foreign aid proposal passed by the Senate in February, although it defines $10 billion of Ukraine’s funding as a repayable loan.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a post on social media:
I welcome that the US House of Representatives has approved a major new package of aid to Ukraine. Ukraine is using the weapons provided by NATO Allies to destroy Russian combat capabilities. This makes us all safer, in Europe and North America.
European leaders praised the US House of Representatives for passing an aid package for Ukraine, but some warned that more European support is urgently needed in anticipation of a Russian offensive in the coming months.
Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock supported the bill on the allocation of aid to Ukraine and emphasised that the US actions should push many European countries to take commensurate actions.
In addition, the Israel Bill included about $4.4 billion to replenish depleted US stockpiles transferred to Israel; $4 billion for missile defence, including the lauded Iron Dome and $1.2 billion for Iron Beam; and $3.5 billion to help Israel buy weapons. Earlier today, the US announced it would impose sanctions on the IDF over human rights violations, prompting a harsh reaction from Israel’s Prime Minister and the country’s war cabinet.
A bill to support US allies in the Asia-Pacific region, mainly Taiwan, included more than $8 billion to counter Chinese activities, about $3.3 billion for submarines, and $2 billion for military aid to Taiwan. Another bill included a provision requiring Chinese company ByteDance to sell its popular social media app, TikTok, which Congress is concerned gives China the ability to obtain information on US citizens.
The bills passed will be combined into a single package to simplify the voting process in the Senate, which will need to re-approve the proposal before it reaches President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature. Biden said:
This package 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. It comes at a moment of grave urgency, with Israel facing unprecedented attacks from Iran, and Ukraine under continued bombardment from Russia.
Speaking from the Capitol earlier this week, Mike Johnson said that providing military aid to Ukraine was critically important and the right thing despite the potential power of his opponents to bring him down in yet another internal party coup. He stressed:
I think providing lethal aid to Ukraine right now is critically important. I really do. I really do believe the intel and the briefings that we’ve gotten. I believe Xi and Vladimir Putin and Iran really are an axis of evil. I think they’re in coordination on this. I think that Vladimir Putin would continue to march through Europe if he were allowed.
Since the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia conflict more than two years ago, the US has sent about $111 billion worth of weapons, equipment, humanitarian aid and other assistance to Ukraine.
