4/21/24

By Aditi Jha

On Saturday, the House passed $95 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. $61 billion for Ukraine (including $23 billion to restock U.S. weapons, stocks, and facilities), $26 billion for Israel (including $9.1 billion for humanitarian needs), and $8 billion for Taiwan passed through the House. It now has to be voted on by the Senate, which will vote on it on Tuesday. The Senate passed a similar $95.3 billion national security bill in February and President Biden promised he would sign this one into law, so this bill is expected to become law sometime next week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X that "The vital U.S. aid bill passed today by the House will keep the war from expanding, save thousands and thousands of lives, and help both of our nations to become stronger." Biden said in a statement that the package "comes at a moment of grave urgency, with Israel facing unprecedented attacks from Iran and Ukraine under continued bombardment from Russia." The Ukraine aid passed in a 311-112 vote, the Israel aid passed in a 366-58 vote, and the Taiwan aid passed in a 385-34 vote. 112 Republicans opposed the Ukraine aid legislation and 101 were in support, including House Speaker Mike Johnson. He told reporters this week that "If I operated out of fear of a motion to vacate, I would never be able to do my job. History judges us for what we do. This is a critical time right now." After the vote, far-right Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said to reporters, "Mike Johnson is a lame duck ... he's done." It's the first time the House has approved billions of dollars for Ukraine since December 2022. Republicans in opposition argued that Ukraine aid would contribute to the rising national debt. Rep. Bob Good, chair of the House Freedom Caucus, said that the bills show "a slide down into the abyss of greater fiscal crisis and America-last policies that reflect Biden and (Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck) Schumer and (House Democrat leader Hakeem) Jeffries, and don't reflect the American people." The Guardian reports that Ukraine has been struggling to fight Russia given a lack of resources, especially artillery. Moscow has more resources by 10 to 1 and has made lots of advances in ground attacks. They have also been targeting power stations in Ukraine, and electricity is now rationed to a few hours a day for Kharkiv, where around 1.3 million people live. The aid package also included a restrictive measure on Tiktok, which passed 360-58. 

That's the news for today! Stay safe!