The House is pushing swiftly through a series of votes in a rare weekend session toward approving a $95 billion package of foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.
FILE – Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, April 19, 2024. Johnson, putting his job on the line, relied on Democratic support this week to bring to the House floor a series of three votes on $95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies, as well as a fourth on several other foreign policy proposals.
The unusual process is allowing unique coalitions to form around the bills, pushing them forward. The whole package will go to the Senate, where passage in the coming days is nearly assured. President Joe Biden has promised to sign it immediately. “Sometimes when you are living history, as we are today, you don’t understand the significance of the actions of the votes that we make on this House floor, of the effect that it will have down the road,” said New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “This is a historic moment.”
Opponents, particularly the hard-right Republicans from Johnson’s majority, argued that the U.S. should focus on the home front, addressing domestic border security and the nation’s rising debt load, and they warned against spending more money, which largely flows to American defense manufacturers, to produce weaponry used overseas.
While aid for Ukraine will likely win a majority in both parties, a significant number of progressive Democrats are expected to vote against the bill aiding Israel as they demand an end to the bombardment of Gaza that has killed thousands of civilians.
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