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A $95 billion U.S. aid plan for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan faces a final vote Saturday, after Democratic lawmakers backed the plan presented by the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives , Mike Johnson.
Approval of the plan, which includes $60 billion for kyiv, would come at a pivotal time for Ukraine as it struggles to hold back Russian forces that have superior numbers and firepower.
The package of four separate bills, which also includes a crackdown on Chinese social media platform TikTok, needed Democratic support after dozens of Republicans voted against a move to bring it to a final vote.
Overcoming that hurdle Friday leaves the House ready for a final vote, marking a dramatic conclusion to months of wrangling over billions of dollars in funds considered crucial to Ukraine’s military effort against the full-scale invasion of the Russia.
If the House passes the bill as expected on Saturday, it will move to the Senate, where it will also likely pass before being sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.
Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, said Friday that his party had “led the way” on the legislation, helping it overcome opposition from “pro-Putin MAGA extremists” such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Georgia, which he said “recklessly” threatened to endanger the national security interests of the United States.
“It is high time to support our democratic allies in Israel, Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific and provide humanitarian assistance to civilians who are in danger in conflict theaters like Gaza, Haiti and Sudan,” added Jefferies.
The prospect that the Kiev aid package could finally be authorized by Congress will bring relief to the United States’ European allies, who have been pushing for more American support for Ukraine’s war effort for months , as they scrambled to find supplies to try to meet their needs. the hole.
kyiv has warned that it lacks ammunition and funds to procure more weapons, just as Russian forces attempt to seize more territory two years after the invasion began.
Approving the aid would boost morale in Ukraine, but could also bring a quick supply of much-needed weapons. A Western official said a significant portion of the weapons were currently stored just across the Ukrainian border in Rzeszów, Poland.
Johnson’s legislation, and particularly the $60 billion in additional funding for Ukraine, remains controversial among many of his fellow Republican lawmakers. Greene threatened to lead a rebellion to oust Johnson over this decision, and was supported by Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie and Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar.
In a sign of how controversial the foreign aid program is, 165 Democrats voted to advance the legislation Friday, compared to just 151 Republicans. Fifty-five Republicans and 39 Democrats voted to block a final vote on the bills.
That suggests Johnson will have to rely on Democrats again on Saturday to pass the bill, given the slim majority Republicans hold in the House’s 435 seats. Johnson could also need Democratic support if Greene initiates a “rescind motion,” a procedural measure aimed at holding a vote of no confidence in the President.
On Friday, Jefferies said he stood by a previous statement that there would be a “reasonable number” of House Democrats who think Johnson “should not go down.”
Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate whose isolationist stance has been echoed in recent months by House members skeptical of more aid to Ukraine, has sent mixed messages on aid bills foreign.
Last week, Trump appeared to defend Johnson against House critics like Greene, telling reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort that the President was “doing a very good job” and suggesting he was open to a aid program to Ukraine.
On Thursday, the former president issued a lengthy statement on social media calling on Europe to contribute more to Ukraine, but without making clear whether he was opposed to the new funding bills.