Senate’s Foreign Aid Package Passes

Updated Feb. 13, 2024, 10:00 a.m. EST

• Despite warnings from the House that the bill would never succeed, the Senate passed the foreign aid package in a 70-to-29 vote. The package provides $60 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion to Israel, and $10 billion for humanitarian aid in conflict zones, including Gaza. The measure was stripped down to $95 billion after the $118 billion version failed in the Senate last week.
• There were no changes made to the bill after Republicans insisted they would not support foreign aid measures without changes to Biden's U.S.-Mexico border policies. 
• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement: 

"History settles every account. And today, on the value of American leadership and strength, history will record that the Senate did not blink."

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed feeling "grateful" to the Senate for passing the package. He wrote on X:

"For us in Ukraine, continued US assistance helps to save human lives from Russian terror. It means that life will continue in our cities and will triumph over war."

• Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said on the House floor as he began filibustering the bill:

"Shouldn't we try to fix our own country first?"

Updated Feb. 8, 2024, 10:00 a.m. EST

• The bipartisan Senate package lost Republican support after top GOP members opposed their own addition of a stricter border policy, and called for a standalone international aid package instead. The bill was specifically crafted to meet GOP demands, but the deal began to fall apart after former President Donald Trump publicly criticized it. House GOP leaders called the bill "dead on arrival."
• Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he is moving onto "Plan B" to get aid to Ukraine and Israel. Schumer blamed Republicans for the bill's failure, saying he still hoped an agreement was in the near future.

 What's the story?

• U.S. lawmakers revealed a cross-party deal that grants new aid to Ukraine and Israel and targets immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border.
• The bill was unveiled Sunday night after senators of both parties had spent months in negotiations. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill later this week.
• If passed, the bill would be the most significant immigration overhaul since the 1980s, when Reagan was in office. 

The bill

• The $120 billion funding deal provides $60 billion to Ukraine in its fight against Russia and $14 billion to Israel's military operations and attack on Gaza. 
• Aid to security at the Mexico border was added to the deal after Republican lawmakers said they would not agree to any money being sent to Ukraine until the migrant crisis was addressed. 
• The bill includes new federal authority, which mandates a complete shutdown of the border if migrant crossings exceed 5,000 in a week.
• Immigration has become a top issue driving Republican voters this year, putting pressure on President Biden. He vowed to "shut down the border right now and fix it quickly" if Congress sent him a bill to be signed.

The response

• Sen. James Lankford (R-Ok.) said the agreement will be a step away from the current system of "catch and release" to one where migrants are detained and deported. 
• Republican House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) said the bill was destined to fail. He said:

"Let me be clear: The Senate Border Bill will NOT receive a vote in the House."

• Migration and border expert Adam Isacson from the Washington Office on Latin America said the bill would mark a "radical" change from current norms. Isacson said the deal contains the spirit of the anti-immigration Trump administration.
• Biden endorsed the deal, saying it was "the toughest and fairest" border reform in decades. He said:

"It would give me, as president, a new emergency authority to shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed. Get it to my desk so I can sign it into law immediately."

• Some Democratic lawmakers are accusing Republicans who oppose the bill of being influenced by Trump, who is urging his supporters on Capitol Hill to not pass the bill. Observers and experts say Trump's influence has cast a shadow over negotiations. 
• When asked about Trump's role, Isacson said:

"Letting the Biden administration twist in the wind is exactly what the Trump campaign wants. That sort of status quo, of They want more B-roll of chaos during the campaign."

Do you support the bill? Let your reps know.

-Jamie Epstein

(Photo credit: iStock/mphillips007)