The House of Representatives quickly approved $95 billion in foreign aidfor Ukraine, Israel and other US allies in a rare session Saturday, Democrats and Republicans unite after months of political turmoil over renewed American support for the repulse Russian invasion.
With overwhelming support, the $61 billion bailout for Ukraine was a powerful show of American support as lawmakers seek new U.S. support for the war-torn ally. Some lawmakers applauded in the House and waved blue and yellow Ukrainian flags.
The unusual process of each bill having its own voice allowed unique coalitions to form around the bills, moving them forward. The entire package will go to the Senate, where its passage is almost guaranteed in the coming days. President Joe Biden has promised to sign it immediately.
“We’ve done our job here, and I think history will judge it well,” said embattled Speaker Mike Johnson, the Louisiana Republican who is risking his job to steer the package through passage.
Biden, in a statement, thanked Johnson, Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and the bipartisan coalition of lawmakers “who voted to put our national security first.”
“I urge the Senate to quickly send this package to my desk so that I can sign it into law and we can quickly send weapons and equipment to Ukraine to meet its immediate combat needs,” the president said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is “grateful” to both parties in the House of Representatives and “personally to Speaker Mike Johnson for a decision that keeps history on the right track,” he said on X.
“Thank you, America!” he said in X, previously on Twitter.
The weekend scene was a stark display of congressional action after months of dysfunction and gridlock fueled by Republicans, who hold a majority but are deeply divided over foreign aid, especially to Ukraine fighting a Russian invasion. Johnson relied on Democratic support to ensure approval of the military and humanitarian package.
The morning began with somber and serious debate and an unusual sense of purpose as Republican and Democratic leaders united to call for quick approval, saying it would ensure the United States supports its allies and maintains leadership on the world stage. The galleries of the Visitors’ House were crowded with spectators.
“The eyes of the world are on us, and history will judge what we do here and now,” said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Passage through the House cleared the biggest hurdle to Biden’s funding request, first made in October as Ukraine’s military supplies began drying up. The GOP-controlled House of Representatives struggled for months over what to do, initially demanding that any aid be tied to changes in U.S.-Mexico policy, only to immediately reject a bipartisan Senate proposal along the same lines.
Reaching the final was a painful climb for Johnson it has tested both his resolve and his support among Republicans, with a small but growing number now openly calling for his removal as speaker. Still, congressional leaders cast the votes as a turning point in history—an urgent sacrifice as U.S. allies are beset by wars and threats from continental Europe, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific.
“Sometimes when you live history as we do today, you don’t understand the significance of the votes we make on this floor of the House of Representatives and the effect it will have in the future,” the New York Rep. said. Gregory Meeks, top Democrat on the House Foreign Relations Committee. “This is a historic moment.”
Opponents, especially far-right Republicans in Johnson’s majority, argued that the US should focus on the home front, addressing domestic border security issues and the country’s growing debt burden, and warned against spending more of the money, which largely goes to US defense manufacturers. for the production of weapons used abroad.
However, in recent months, Congress has seen a flurry of visits from world leaders, from Zelensky to the Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida, almost begging lawmakers to approve the aid. Around the world, the delay has caused many to question America’s commitment to its allies.
Also at stake is one of Biden’s top foreign policy priorities: stopping Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advances in Europe. After quiet negotiations with Johnson, the president quickly approved Johnson’s plan, clearing the way for Democrats to lend their rare support and overcome the procedural hurdles needed for a final vote.
“We have a responsibility—not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans—to defend democracy wherever it is threatened,” Jeffries said during the debate.
While aid to Ukraine is likely to win bipartisan majorities, a significant number of progressive Democrats are expected to vote against the Israel aid bill as they demand an end to the bombing of Gaza that has killed thousands of civilians.
At the same time, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has loomed large in the fight, influencing from afar through social media statements and direct phone calls with lawmakers as he nudges the GOP toward a more isolationist stance with his “America First” slogan ” brand politics.
Ukraine’s defense once enjoyed strong bipartisan support in Congress, but as the war enters its third year, most Republicans oppose further aid. Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., proposed an amendment to zero out the money, but it was rejected.
At one point, Trump’s opposition essentially doomed the Senate’s bipartisan border security proposal. Trump also posted on social media last week questioning why European countries weren’t giving Ukraine more money, although he spared Johnson criticism and said Ukraine’s survival was important.
However, the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus derided the legislation as an “America Last” foreign war program and called on lawmakers to challenge and oppose Republican leadership because the bills do not include border security measures.
Johnson’s grip on the speaker’s gavel has also become looser in recent days, as three Republicans led by Greene backed a “vacation motion” that could lead to a vote to remove the speaker. Spurred on by far-right figures, she is also being joined by a growing number of lawmakers, including Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who is calling on Johnson to resign voluntarily, and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.
The package includes several Republican priorities that Democrats support or are at least willing to embrace. These include proposals to allow the US to confiscate frozen assets of the Russian central bank to rebuild Ukraine; impose sanctions against Iran, Russia, China, and criminal organizations involved in the fentanyl trade; And legislation demand the Chinese owner of popular video app TikTok sell its stake within a year or face a ban in the US.
However, the all-out rush to push bills through Congress is a reflection not only of politics, but also of the realities on the ground in Ukraine. Top lawmakers on the national security committees who are privy to classified briefings have become increasingly concerned about the situation in recent weeks. Russia is increasingly using satellite-guided glide bombs, which allow aircraft to drop them from a safe distance to strike surrounded Ukrainian forces. shortage of troops And ammunition.