The lower house of the United States Congress, the House of Representatives, will vote on the $9.5 billion security assistance bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan on Saturday local time. The bill is expected to pass the Republican-controlled House. The news agency Reuters gave the news in a report.
More than two months have passed since the bill passed the Democratic-majority Senate. Lawmakers from US President Joe Biden to top Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell have been calling on House Speaker Mike Johnson to hold a vote on the bill.
Last February, the bill received 70 percent support in the Senate but stalled in the lower house of the House of Representatives. The bill has largely been held up by Republican lawmakers’ objections to aid to Ukraine.
The bill earmarks nearly $6 trillion in funding for Ukraine, where the Ukrainian military is running out of ammunition. Much of this money will be used to support military operations in Ukraine and to resume US supplies of weapons and equipment to the frontline.
Another $14 billion will be spent on Israeli and US military operations in the Middle East. And about $8 billion will be spent to help US partners in the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan, as part of efforts to deter Chinese aggression.
In addition, about 1 billion dollars have been allocated for humanitarian assistance in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza. About a quarter of the Palestinian population is starving and a large part of the territory has been destroyed by Israeli attacks.
The White House said in a statement on Friday that the whole world is watching what Congress does. If passed, the bill would send a strong message about the strength of US leadership at a critical moment. The administration is urging both houses of Congress to quickly send this supplemental funding package to the president’s desk.
Voters from both parties voted 316-94 to take the bill to the floor yesterday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told senators to be ready to take up the bill next week if it passes as expected.
But some hard-line Republicans have strongly opposed giving more aid to Ukraine. Their argument is that the United States cannot provide this assistance in any way with a national debt burden of 34 trillion dollars. They are repeatedly threatening to oust Mike Johnson.