US House approves billion-dollar package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

The Republican Party-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday approved, with broad bipartisan support, a $95 billion legislative package that provides security assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, despite bitter objections from hardline Republicans.

The legislation now heads to the Democratic-majority Senate, which approved a similar measure more than two months ago. US leaders, from Democratic President Joe Biden to the Senate’s top Republican, Mitch McConnell, have been pressing Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring the issue to a vote.

The Senate is expected to approve the measure next week, sending it to Biden to sign into law.

This week, Johnson decided to ignore threats of being ousted from office by hard-line members of his divided 218-213 majority, and moved forward with the project that includes around $60.84 billion for Ukraine, at a time when which the country is experiencing difficulties in responding to the Russian invasion, which has already lasted more than two years.

The four-project package — which is unusual — also includes resources for Israel, security assistance for Taiwan and allies in the Indo-Pacific region. There is also a measure that includes sanctions, a threat to ban Chinese social media app TikTok and the potential transfer of retained Russian assets to Ukraine.

The bill that places new limits on TikTok was the first of four to be approved this Saturday.

“The world is watching what Congress does,” the White House said in a statement Friday. “Passing this bill would send a strong message about the strength of American leadership at a crucial time. The administration urges both houses of Congress to quickly submit this supplemental funding package for the president’s signature.”

A bipartisan majority of 316 to 94 voted on Friday to table the bill, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told senators he is ready to work all weekend if the House approves it. as expected.

“It’s not the perfect law, it’s not the law we would write if Republicans were running the House, the Senate and the White House,” Johnson said on Friday. “This is the best possible product we can get under the current circumstances to meet these very important obligations.”

Some hard-line Republicans have strongly opposed a new package to help Ukraine. They argue that the US cannot afford that amount when it already has a domestic debt of $34 trillion and growing.

With information from Reuters