Legislation approved by 79 to 18 votes includes $60.8bn to replenish Ukraine’s war chest as it battles Russia
The Bill easily cleared a key procedural hurdle earlier in the day. The Senate overwhelmingly voted to advance the measure in a step hailed by the majority leader as “one of the greatest achievements the Senate has faced in years”.
The legislation includes $60.8bn to replenish Ukraine’s war chest as it seeks to repel Russia from its territory; $26.3bn for Israel and humanitarian relief for civilians in conflict zones, including Gaza; and $8.1bn for the Indo-Pacific region to bolster its defences against China. Much of the foreign aid section of the Bill mirrors what the Senate passed in February, with the addition of a measure mandating the president seek repayment from Kyiv for roughly $10bn in economic assistance in the form of “forgivable loans”, an idea first floated by Donald Trump, who was initially opposed to aiding Ukraine.
Despite broad congressional support, the effort almost immediately stalled as a faction of Republicans, increasingly sceptical of US involvement in foreign entanglements, resisted sending more aid to Ukraine. Conservatives began insisting that any funding to foreign countries be paired with legislation aimed at stemming the rise of people arriving at the US-Mexico border.
“History judges us for what we do,” Mr Johnson said at an emotional press conference last week, after a bipartisan coalition of legislators passed the aid package by lopsided margins.
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