House of Representatives Set to Vote on $61 Billion Aid Package for Ukraine, Senate Support Expected

The House of Representatives will vote Saturday on a new aid package for Ukraine. The bill, which would allocate approximately $61 billion for purposes related to aid to Ukraine, has been closed since the end of last year.

If the bill is approved, it will be moved to the Senate, where support for Ukraine is supported by a confident majority of legislators. It must then be signed by Democratic President Joe Biden, who has promised to do so immediately as soon as the document reaches him.

The Ukraine aid bill calls for a total of $60.84 billion in spending, but that includes $23.2 billion to replenish US military supplies dwindling after arms supplies to Kyiv and $11.3 billion for ongoing U.S. military activities in the region, such as the training of Ukrainian soldiers outside their country and military presence in eastern NATO countries.

The debate about aid to Ukraine in the US Congress has been going on for almost five months.

When Washington handed over the last batch of aid to Kyiv late last year, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby warned that if Congress did not approve a new aid package for Ukraine within weeks which is ahead of us, there would be almost no money for this in the budget.

Kyiv receives only enough military supplies from the United States: first, air defense missiles and artillery shells. The lack of this weapon has put the Ukrainian army in a difficult position, it is gradually withdrawn, and analysts warn that the resistance may collapse at some point.

However, the relief package struggled even through the Democratic-controlled Senate. Back in December Republican minority blocked an attempt to pass a bill introduced by the Biden administration that would combine aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan in hopes of easing passage.

The largest amount was allocated for “Ukrainian” articles – $61 billion (although a significant part should go to replenishing American arsenals and financing American troops in Eastern Europe), the rest was for military aid to Israel, humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and military aid to Taiwan and other allies in the Indo-Pacific region.

In exchange for supporting the bill, Republicans in both houses of Congress asked for stricter regulations on the border with Mexico. In early February, the White House and the Democrats agree to significant concessionsbut after former President Donald Trump spoke out against the deal, Republicans did not support the compromise bill.

Then the Democrats put up a foreign aid bill for a vote in the Senate without border deals at all, and, to the surprise of many observers, it’s a surprise. passed with confidence, and in addition to the Democrats, almost half of the Republican minority voted in favor. In this form, the value was $ 95 billion.

Republicans have a nominal majority in the House of Representatives, but even there, most legislators from both parties were ready to support the bill if it came to a vote.

But a group of Republicans who were very much against the relief package threatened that House Speaker Mike Johnson would be fired if he brought the bill to a vote. For more than two months, Johnson complied with their request, despite the support of Joe Biden and foreign leaders.

But on Wednesday he changed his tune, saying he intends to do the right thing, regardless of the consequences.

A group of Democrats was also opposed to voting on the bill – already because of the provisions on aid to Israel, which is waging war in Gaza.

As a result, the speaker suggested voting for support for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan separately. The idea was supported by the chairs of the House Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, Intelligence, Budget and Defense Budget Subcommittee.

After this, US President Joe Biden said he supported the bills introduced by Mike Johnson.

Democratic votes helped call the vote for Republican Mike Johnson. This is very unusual: usually the party with a majority in the House of Representatives decides all matters of organizing the functions of the chamber alone. with their own votes: it determines the agenda, rules of procedure, elects the speaker and other officials. The minority party traditionally votes against all these procedural decisions.

But the margin of the Republicans over the Democrats in the House of Representatives is very small: 217 votes to 213 (another five seats are now vacant). If at least two Republicans refuse to vote with their group, and the Democrats stick to their usual line and vote against it, the resolution will fail. There are many more Republicans who oppose foreign aid, especially to Ukraine.

As a result, the procedural decision to put the bills to vote was successfully passed (getting 316 votes for and 94 against), thanks to a change in the position of the Democrats. Some Republican members of the House opposed the decision.

The bill itself is expected to be passed in roughly the same circumstances.

Opponents of Ukraine aid among Republicans are now threatening to force a vote to remove President Johnson, with at least two publicly saying they would support his ouster. That might be enough — if the Democrats don’t come to his aid again.