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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks to reporters at the Capitol on April 17, 2024.
Washington
CNN
—
The Senate passed the House on Tuesday as the bill nears final action in Congress, after months of struggles on both sides of Congress to send aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The United States is expected to approve a $95 billion foreign aid package.
On Tuesday afternoon, the procedural vote went 80-19 with broad bipartisan support, and despite opposition from some in each party, the bill easily passed the final vote and passed to President Joe Biden. A telegram was sent asking for signatures.
Thirty Republicans voted with all but two Democrats to clear the last procedural hurdle before a final vote.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer implored his colleagues to pass the bill immediately, urging senators to “don’t make our friends around the world wait any longer.”
A Democratic lawmaker from New York said, “The Senate convenes in the blink of an eye over a period of nearly six months.” “A few days ago, the House finally approved critical national security funding for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific, and additional humanitarian assistance. Today it’s the Senate’s turn to act.”
The bill consolidates four bills the House voted on separately in an unusual Saturday session and provides nearly $61 billion in aid to Ukraine, more than $26 billion to Israel and more than $8 billion to the Indo-Pacific. be. The first three bills are very similar to bills passed by the Senate earlier this year, but House Speaker Mike Johnson initially refused to introduce them in the House.
The fourth bill would strengthen sanctions against Russian assets and includes language that could lead to a ban on TikTok in the United States. The move gives Chinese parent company ByteDance about nine months to sell TikTok or the app will be banned from U.S. app stores.
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Senate leaders are aiming to reach a deal that would allow for a final vote on Tuesday, according to people in both parties.
“I hope so,” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell told CNN when asked Tuesday if he expected the bill to pass.
The House of Commons debated the bill after Johnson opposed sending aid to Ukraine and rebelled against conservatives in his own party who threatened to expel him over his handling of the issue. In the end, the bill passed the House with a large bipartisan margin.
Aid to Ukraine and Israel stalled as Republicans in both chambers called for addressing border security first, leading to months of negotiations in the Senate over a border package tied to foreign aid. But former President Donald Trump led opposition to the final deal, and Republicans ultimately scrapped it.
McConnell, who has consistently broken with his party over support for Ukraine, said Tuesday’s vote was “overdue” and “a test that we must not fail.”
“What I know to be true is this: America’s prosperity and security are the product of decades of American leadership,” McConnell said. “With our global interests come global responsibilities. Healthy alliances ease the burden of these responsibilities.”
This article and heading have been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Kristin Wilson contributed to this report.
