Name: Senate Advances House-Passed $95 Billion Foreign Aid Package
Uploaded: 2024-04-24T02:43:13.000Z
Description: The Senate on April 23 voted to advance a $95 billion national security package that includes foreign aid for the war-torn nations of Ukraine and Israel, as well as the Indo-Pacific. The bills also include a measure to force TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company to address national security concerns.

Jack Bradley is a Washington correspondent for NTD News based in Washington, D.C. Jack previously anchored "NTD Newsroom" and worked as an assistant producer for the show. 

Jack Bradley

NTD Plus

News

News with integrity, from the U.S. and around the world. Focused reports and analyses that shed light on major issues the world deserves to know. NTD Evening News airs daily at 6 p.m. ET.

NTD Evening News

China’s Broken Promises Loom Over New Trade Deals

David Lam is a national correspondent based in California and a part-time anchor for "NTD Tonight." Before joining NTD he was a financial analyst.

David Lam

Californians React as Trump Calls for Gas Tax Suspension

Arleen Richards is NTD's legal correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City, where she covers all major legal stories. Arleen holds a Doctor of Law (J.D.).


Arleen Richards

Federal Agencies Announce ‘Summer Surge’ of Law Enforcement into DC Ahead of 250th Anniversary

Christina Corona is a California-based reporter for NTD News. She primarily covers California news, politics, and entertainment.  

Christina Corona

Trump Administration Reports Zero Border Releases

Arian Pasdar is an international correspondent for NTD News based in South America. His reporting focuses on immigration and key events in Latin America.

Arian Pasdar

US to Host 1st Ever World Cup Final Halftime Show, Featuring Shakira, Madonna

Savannah Pointer is a politics reporter for The Epoch Times. She can be reached at savannah.pointer@epochtimes.us

Savannah Hulsey Pointer

Jason Perry is an Army veteran and NTD's National Security Correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Jason primarily covers border security, national defense, foreign wars, and veterans' issues.

Jason Perry

Health News

Texas Children's Hospital to Open First-Ever Detransition Clinic Under Deal With DOJ

Sam Wang is a Washington correspondent for NTD News based in Washington, D.C. Sam covers politics on Capitol Hill, and U.S.-China relations. 

Sam Wang

Citizens Honor Police for Their Service and Sacrifice

Cary Dunst is the news anchor for NTD Evening News. He is also the co-host of NTD Good Morning.


Cary Dunst

Trump ‘Projecting American Influence and Leadership’ on Iran Issue in Beijing: China Expert

Chris Bob is a reporter for NTD and a host of "Profiles of Service." He is also a small business owner. Chris graduated from Union College with a concentration in politics and religion in Russia and the former Soviet Union.

Chris Bob

Senate Panel Advances Crypto Regulation Bill

Jason Blair is a national correspondent for NTD News based in California. 

Jason Blair

Lawmakers Weigh ‘Sanctuary’ Polices After Woman’s Death in Virginia

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 15)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 14)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 13)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 12)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 11)

Don Ma is an anchor and senior business correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Don is the anchor and producer of NTD's "Business Matters," which airs weekdays at 4:30 pm ET.

Don Ma

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 10)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 9)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 8)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 7)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 6)

NTD Newsroom comprises teams of reporters, editors, and producers assigned to cover breaking news and other stories.


NTD Newsroom

Fast, compelling, first-hand news from China. China in Focus airs Monday–Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

China in Focus

China Sends Warships to Pacific Drill as Tensions With Japan Rise

Reuters is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages.

Reuters

We present news that is truthful and based on facts, outside of the political fog. Instead of focusing on the negative things happening around us, our mission is to give our viewers a good morning with empathetic and uplifting stories. Our aim is to provide an antidote to negativity by shining a light on the best side of people. We speak to inspiring people who positively impact communities, pursue topics that represent our common human values, and will never miss an opportunity to bring you heartwarming stories.

NTD Good Morning

2 US Embassy Personnel Assigned to Cartel Case Killed in Car Accident

The Associated Press is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. 

The Associated Press

US News

Gunman Kills 8 Children, Including 7 of His Own, in Louisiana Mass Shooting

Flora Hua is a reporter based at NTD's global headquarters in New York City, where she covers China news, U.S.-China relations, and human rights issues. Flora primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus."  

Flora Hua

Trump: Seized Iranian Ship May Have ‘A Gift From China’

Joseph Lord is a congressional reporter for The Epoch Times.


Joseph Lord

Aldgra Fredly is a freelance writer covering U.S. and Asia Pacific news for The Epoch Times.

Aldgra Fredly

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani Hospitalized in Critical Condition: Spokesman

Wildfires Across Georgia and Florida Have Destroyed Nearly 50 Homes and Are Forcing Evacuations

News you can trust from the U.S. and around the world. Critical information and insight. We cover the stories that others don’t. NTD News Today airs Monday–Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

NTD News Today

US Warns of China Hacks via Routers, Smart Devices

Juliet Song is an international correspondent exclusively covering China news for NTD. She primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus," covering U.S.-China relations, the Chinese regime's human rights abuses, and domestic unrest inside China.

Juliet Song

2 Americans Among Suspected Communist Rebels Killed in Clashes With Troops, Philippine Officials Say

Ryan Morgan is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on military and foreign affairs. He was previously a news writer for NTD. 


Ryan Morgan

Mari Otsu is NTD's White House correspondent based in Washington. 

Mari Otsu

World News

Middle East

Iran

3 US Warships Fend Off Iranian Attacks, Trump Says Ceasefire Still Holds

3 Dead in Suspected Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship in Atlantic Ocean: WHO

The Senate on April 23 voted to advance a $95 billion national security package that includes foreign aid for the war-torn nations of Ukraine and Israel, as well as the Indo-Pacific. The bills also include a measure to force TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company to address national security concerns.

A motion to order cloture and limit debate on the $95 billion funding package was passed by the Senate in an 80–19 vote.

It is unclear when the final vote will be because one senator has the ability to delay the process, but the package is expected to pass.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told The Epoch Times that he expects the final package to pass with "hopefully north of 70" votes.

President Joe Biden has urged the Senate to quickly pass the legislation, which he's expected to sign "as soon as possible," per White House national security spokesman John Kirby.

Mr. Kirby said the White House will immediately disburse around $1 billion of the aid upon it being signed into law.

The bill's advancement through the upper chamber comes three days after the House passed the bills with bipartisan support over the objections of the GOP’s right flank.

“The Senate now stands ready to take the next step,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) assured after the House vote, promising quick passage of the bills in the Senate.

“I thank Speaker [Mike] Johnson and Leader [Hakeem] Jeffries for working together to do the right thing for our country. I know it was a difficult road, but the House is on the right side of history for approving this bill,” he added.

Together, the package includes $61 billion for Ukraine, $8.1 billion for the Indo-Pacific, and $26.4 billion for Israel and humanitarian aid for Gaza. It also includes a measure forcing Chinese divestment of TikTok and allowing the government to give seized Russian assets to Ukraine.

Speaking at a press conference following the procedural vote that advanced the legislation and all but guaranteed its passage, an upbeat and clearly relieved Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) fielded an abnormally large number of questions from the press.

"This is an important day for America and a very important day for freedom-loving countries around the world," Mr. McConnell said.

In later questioning, he suggested that the 30 GOP votes that all but delivered the bill over the finish line show that the "isolationist wing" of the Republican Party—which he said was typified by pundit Tucker Carlson—is on the retreat.

Those 30 Republican votes represent a substantial uptick from previous Ukraine funding packages.
<h2>Borderless Package Rankles Republicans</h2>
The legislation faced fierce opposition from Republican members who felt that securing the southern border should take precedence over sending financial assistance to foreign countries, particularly Ukraine.

The House package includes $300 million for Ukraine's border patrol equivalent, but nothing for U.S. border security funding or policy changes.

Speaking to The Epoch Times, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) asked "Why are we securing Ukraine's border?"

Mr. Scott also cited the bill's nearly $10 billion for humanitarian funding in Gaza and elsewhere as a reason for his opposition to the package, despite his desire to aid Israel.

The issue has also been a concern in the House.

Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), who was among the 55 Republicans who opposed the advancement of the foreign aid package in the lower chamber, argued that it was wrong for the United States to be securing the borders of other nations amid the ongoing crisis at the southern border with Mexico.

“We’re sending $300 million for the state border guard services of Ukraine ... yet won’t spend the same kind of money here to secure our own border,” Ms. Hageman said.

Some Senate Republicans are opposed to the whole Ukrainian enterprise.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) told reporters ahead of the April 23 vote, "I see no possible strategy to win the war," opining that any strategy to deliver a total Ukrainian victory risks escalation to nuclear war.

"Putin is not gonna lose this war," Mr. Johnson argued.

He called Russian President Vladimir Putin "a bloody war criminal," but noted that Russia still has far more population and military capacity than Ukraine can hope to match, and cited the failure of Ukraine's counteroffensive that's ended in a "stalemate."

Others have complained that passing Ukraine aid now effectively removes all leverage Republicans had over Democrats. Republicans once hoped to use Ukraine aid to force border concessions from Democrats.

“As the Senate passes on Tuesday what the House passed last night, we will have relinquished what little bargaining power we had left” to secure the border, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”

Mr. Lee noted that part of the GOP’s strategy in holding off on additional Ukraine funding was to “force Joe Biden’s hand” on the border. “That didn’t happen, and the Republican-led House of Representatives walked away from that yesterday,” he said.
<h2>House Infighting Over Package</h2>
Still, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has insisted in comments to reporters that he felt bringing the bills to the House floor was the right move.

“I’ve done here what I believe to be the right thing, and that is to allow the House to work its will. And as I’ve said, you do the right thing and you let the chips fall where they may,” he said after the package was passed.

Mr. Johnson’s willingness to join with Democrats on other recent bills had already fractured the House GOP and thrown his speakership into question. Now, with this latest move, he may have sealed his fate.

“Speaker Johnson refuses to use his power as speaker of the House to do any type of negotiating to secure the southern border and stop the madness in our country,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) told Fox News.

Charging the speaker with betrayal, the congresswoman called on him to resign.

“Mike Johnson’s speakership is over. He needs to do the right thing—to resign and allow us to move forward in a controlled process. If he doesn’t do so, he will be vacated,” she said.

Her move to oust the speaker, she added, is “coming regardless of what Mike Johnson decides to do.”

Ms. Greene <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/marjorie-taylor-green-files-motion-to-oust-speaker-mike-johnson-5612892">filed a motion</a> to strip Mr. Johnson of the gavel last month as “more of a warning and a pink slip.” Although a vote has yet to be triggered, Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) have also voiced their support for the speaker’s removal.

Doubling down on her position on April 22, Ms. Greene said GOP voters were fed up with Republican leadership.

“I’ve not seen people this angry since November of 2020,” she <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMTG/status/1782439737283727410" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">said</a> on Steve Bannon’s “War Room.”

The congresswoman noted that the 2020 election angered Republicans because of the many election integrity concerns it raised. But now, she said, their anger has reached “a whole other level.”

“And here’s what really worries me,” she said. “They’re done with the Republican Party. They are absolutely done with Republican leadership like Mike Johnson, who totally sold us out to the Democrats.”

And that frustration could result in Republicans losing the House, Ms. Greene said, if the speaker is not held to account.

Mr. Jeffries, meanwhile, <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/jeffries-suggests-democrats-could-save-johnsons-speakership-5627173">suggested</a> earlier this month that some Democrats might step in to save Mr. Johnson if he brought the foreign aid package to the floor. But he stressed that he was making “an observation,” not a declaration, and that his conference would need to discuss the matter further.

But Mr. Johnson, for his part, said he is unconcerned about the possibility of his removal.

“As I’ve said many times, I don’t walk around this building being worried about a motion to vacate,” he told reporters on April 20. “I have to do my job. We did.”

President Biden has promised to sign the national security package if it lands on his desk.

On an April 22 <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/04/22/readout-of-president-bidens-call-with-president-zelenskyy-of-ukraine-14/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">phone call</a> with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy, he vowed to provide additional assistance as soon as the measure passes the Senate and becomes law, the White House said.

<em>Jackson Richman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.</em>

<em>From <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/senate-to-take-up-house-passed-foreign-aid-package-5634876">The Epoch Times</a></em>

Latest

Congress

Videos

ukraine

israel

Politics

01_Lead Story

foreign

Premium Picks

Latest Clips

package

Europe

Management

Russia–Ukraine War

Samantha Flom is a reporter for The Epoch Times covering U.S. politics and news. A graduate of Syracuse University, she has a background in journalism and nonprofit communications.
Contact her at samantha.flom@epochtimes.us

Samantha Flom

Stacy Robinson is a reporter for The Epoch Times.

Stacy Robinson

Latest and breaking news, documentaries, movies, and lifestyle content on NTD+.
 
Empower your knowledge and elevate your spirit with NTD+, your go-to destination for truthful news, insightful documentaries, and captivating lifestyle content that enriches your life.