US House approves crucial Ukraine aid deal (2024)

US House approves crucial Ukraine aid deal (1)

Zelensky says ‘history is on the right track’ as months-long deadlock is ended

The US House of Representatives has passed a major package of military aid for Ukraine after a six-month hold-up in a move Volodymyr Zelensky praised for keeping “history on the right track”.

Democrats waved Ukrainian flags on the floor of the House as the bill authorising $60 billion (£48.5 billion) in lethal aid to be sent from US stockpiles passed by 311 votes to 112,

Joe Biden’s plan to send aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan had been held up in Congress for six months, amid opposition from Republicans who argued the war with Russia had become too expensive.

Mike Johnson, the House Speaker, put the Ukraine bill to representatives on Saturday alongside separate votes on other foreign funding. It will now pass to the Senate for approval.

Mr Zelensky welcomed the news in a post on X, where he said he was “personally grateful” to Mr Johnson for “the decision that keeps history on the right track”.

“Democracy and freedom will always have global significance and will never fail as long as America helps to protect it,” he said.

“The vital US 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.

“Just peace and security can only be attained through strength.”

US House approves crucial Ukraine aid deal (2)

Military officials in Ukraine, the US and other Western countries had warned that without further American aid, Kyiv will lose significant territory to Russia this year.

Last week, Gen Christopher Cavoli, the US military commander in Europe, warned that Russia was outgunning Ukraine by five to one on the front line, and that the figure would soon rise to 10 to one.

Other allies, including the UK, had increased their support in an attempt to make up the shortfall, but face supply chain issues in European arms factories.

Welcoming the news, President Biden said: “Today, members of both parties in the House voted to advance our national security interests and send a clear message about the power of American leadership on the world stage.

“At this critical inflection point, they came together to answer history’s call, passing urgently needed national security legislation that I have fought for months to secure.”

He added that the package “comes at a moment of grave urgency, with Israel facing unprecedented attacks from Iran, and Ukraine under continued bombardment from Russia”.

Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, said the bill was a “vital step forward”.

“If Putin ever doubted the West’s resolve to back Ukraine, this shows our collective will is undimmed,” he said. “With support, Ukraine can and will win.”

Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, added that the package would “make us all safer”.

“Ukraine is using the weapons provided by NATO allies to destroy Russian combat capabilities,” he said.

The Kremlin said it would lead to more deaths in Ukraine.

“It will further enrich the United States of America and ruin Ukraine even more, by killing even more Ukrainians,” said Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, according to state news agency TASS.

US House approves crucial Ukraine aid deal (3)

The package of measures totals $95 billion (£77 billion), and will be put to a vote in the Senate, which the Democratic majority leader Chuck Schumer has suggested could take place on Tuesday.

The House also passed a bill that would force ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, to sell the platform or face being banned from app stores in the US.

Another vote approved measures to sanction China, Russia and Iran, and to send aid to Taiwan.

A $26 billion package for Israel will be used to replenish supplies for the country’s Iron Dome missile defence system, while another package of humanitarian aid will be sent to Gaza.

All of the votes will form one bill when they have been approved by the Senate this week.

Mr Biden has said he will sign it as soon as it reaches his desk, allowing the Pentagon to reallocate US weapons stockpiles as soon as possible.

US House approves crucial Ukraine aid deal (4)

The US president has been constrained in the funding and weapons he can offer Kyiv since the last of the existing funding ran out at the end of last year.

The White House has attempted to continue its support through other routes, but has been unable to send already manufactured weapons.

Despite the victory, Mr Johnson faces significant opposition to his willingness to work with Democrats to pass the bill, including from Republicans in Congress who hope to depose him as Speaker.

Marjorie Taylor Greene: Speaker has ‘betrayed America’

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a conservative hardliner who is leading the charge against Mr Johnson, said he had “betrayed America” by putting the Ukraine package to a vote.

“House Republicans and the American people would be stronger without his disloyalty and betrayal of his principles,” she said.

“Now it’s time for my colleagues to go home and hear from their constituents. We need a new Speaker of the House!”

The Ukraine aid supplemental was first proposed by Mr Biden in October, after the existing budgetary authorisation from Congress began to dwindle.

Aides suggested that a “one-and-done” package to fund the war effort beyond November’s election was needed to overcome Republican resistance in the House.

By December, the Pentagon warned it had almost exhausted the budget, and aid dried up entirely in January.

One final package of $300m was sent by Washington in March, after the Pentagon identified savings it had made by buying previous shipments of weapons in bulk.

Other European allies have already begun to prepare for an end to US aid, which could be exhausted after November’s election if Donald Trump secures a second term in the White House.

Mr Trump has suggested he would not renew the budget for foreign aid for Ukraine, and would apply diplomatic pressure to Mr Zelensky to end the war through a negotiated settlement with Russia.

Mr Zelensky has signalled his intention to continue the war until Ukraine has won back the territory it lost after Vladimir Putin’s invasion in February 2022.

Mr Trump did not respond to the result of the vote on Saturday evening, but posted on his Truth Social platform about the criminal proceedings against him in several court cases.

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Joe Biden: Vote ‘sends message about American leadership’

In a statement, President Joe Biden said: “Today, members of both parties in the House voted to advance our national security interests and send a clear message about the power of American leadership on the world stage.

“At this critical inflection point, they came together to answer history’s call, passing urgently-needed national security legislation that I have fought for months to secure.

“This package will deliver critical support to Israel and Ukraine; provide desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, and other locations impacted by conflicts and natural disasters around the world; and bolster security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.

“It comes at a moment of grave urgency, with Israel facing unprecedented attacks from Iran, and Ukraine under continued bombardment from Russia. I want to thank Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, and the bipartisan coalition of lawmakers in the House who voted to put our national security first.

“I urge the Senate to quickly send this package to my desk so that I can sign it into law and we can quickly send weapons and equipment to Ukraine to meet their urgent battlefield needs.”

‘This sends a clear message to the Kremlin’ - EU chief

EU chief Charles Michel has welcomed the US House of Representatives backing of an aid package to Ukraine for its war effort against Russia.

“This sends a clear message to the Kremlin: Those who believe in freedom and UN charter will continue to support Ukraine and its people,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Cameron: House backing for Ukraine ‘a vital step forward’

US House support for $60bn funding for Ukraine is a vital step forward.

If Putin ever doubted the West's resolve to back Ukraine, this shows our collective will is undimmed.

With support, Ukraine can and will win. #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/vugDBtxV94

— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) April 20, 2024

House passes $26bn Israel funding

The House has approved a $26 billion package aiding Israel and providing humanitarian relief to people in Gaza.

The bill, which could be taken up by the US Senate as early as Tuesday, would provide funds mainly to reinforce Israel’s Iron Dome air defence.

Zelensky thanks House for ‘keeping history on the right track’

I am grateful to the United States House of Representatives, both parties, and personally Speaker Mike Johnson for the decision that keeps history on the right track.

Democracy and freedom will always have global significance and will never fail as long as America helps to…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 20, 2024

Ukraine aid bill passed

The House has approved a bill to send more than $60bn in aid to Ukraine, in the first step to ending months of congressional logjam.

Democrats on the floor of the House waved Ukrainian flags as the results came in, showing it passed by 311 votes in favour to 112 against.

This bill will now pass to the Senate, along with other bills that have passed this evening.

Taylor Greene amendment rejected

US House approves crucial Ukraine aid deal (5)

Representatives voted against an amendment by Marjorie Taylor Greene to reduce the size of the Ukraine aid budget to $0.

Ms Taylor Greene, a conservative hardliner, had also proposed an amendment that would force congressmen who vote for the aid package to enlist in the country’s military.

House to vote on Ukraine aid next

We are now waiting for the results of the vote on Ukraine aid - the biggest challenge of the night that would send more than $60bn of military aid to Kyiv.

Months of congressional logjam have led up to this moment.

Foreign aid package for Taiwan clears the House

The second key vote of the night, a package of measures to counter Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region, has just passed in the House.

The package includes more than $8bn in aid for Taiwan.

House votes to ban TikTok and sanction Iran

The first package of measures in tonight’s vote have just passed, forcing the owner of TikTok to sell the platform or face a ban.

Although seemingly unrelated to the main foreign aid bills tonight, the TikTok ban was included as a “sweetener” for Republicans who are concerned about the influence of China.

The bill introduces new rules that would force ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, to sell the platform or face a ban.

It also includes new sanctions on China, Russia and Iran, and a plan to sell frozen Russian assets to generate revenue.

As with all of tonight’s measures, this bill is subject to passage in the Senate next week.

Mike Johnson’s career hangs in the balance

US House approves crucial Ukraine aid deal (6)

It is fair to say that the House Speaker’s strategy over this evening’s votes has not gone down well with some members of his own party.

The Republicans’ tiny majority in the House and bitter divide over Ukraine funding has forced Mr Johnson to rely on the support of Democrats to get these votes to the floor. He will also be relying on the other side to get them across the line.

Although the congressional system was always designed to support inter-party horse trading on key issues, the division over foreign aid funding has made Mr Johnson’s strategy very controversial.

Three members of the Republican caucus have already called for him to be deposed as Speaker, after just six months in the job. There could be a vote on that (known as a motion to vacate) as soon as next week, and the success of tonight’s bills may decide whether other Republicans choose to support him.

How does tonight’s vote work?

Mike Johnson’s strategy over this foreign aid package is to split the various asks from the White House into three main bills, plus a vote on Republican-friendly measures that he hopes will increase the chance of the aid getting through the house.

You can see a summary of those bills in the post below, at 17.36.

Before then, the House will vote on nine amendments that have been put forward by representatives on the floor -- some of which have been designed to wreck the main bills.

One of the amendments, put forward by conservative hardliner Marjorie Taylor Greene, would reduce the size of the Ukraine package from $60bn to $0.

After we have had those amendments, Congress will then vote on the four main bills.

Whatever gets through the House tonight will then proceed to the Senate, where another vote is expected on Tuesday. Joe Biden has promised to sign whatever comes to his desk immediately.

‘This is a historic moment’: House debates bills ahead of vote

Before the voting, the House began a somber but serious debate with an unusual sense of purpose as Republican committee chairs and top Democrats on the panels united to urge swift passage that would ensure the United States supports its allies and remains a leader on the world stage.

“The eyes of the world are upon us, and history will judge what we do here and now,” said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The weekend scene presented a striking display of congressional action after months of dysfunction and stalemate fueled by Republicans, who hold the majority but are deeply split over foreign aid, particularly for Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion.

If the votes are successful, the package will go to the Senate, where passage in the coming days is nearly assured.

President Joe Biden has promised to sign it immediately.

“Sometimes when you are living history, as we are today, you don’t understand the significance of the actions of the votes that we make on this House floor, of the effect that it will have down the road,” said New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

“This is a historic moment.”

What is in the four bills?

The biggest of the four bills provides $60.84 billion to address the conflict in Ukraine, including $23 billion to replenish US weapons, stocks and facilities.

Some hardline Republicans have voiced strong opposition to further Ukraine aid, with some arguing the US can ill afford it given its rising $34 trillion national debt.

The bill also allows Biden to confiscate and sell Russian assets and provide the money to Ukraine to finance reconstruction, a move that has been embraced by other G7 nations.

A second bill earmarks $26 billion for Israel and Gaza.

A total of $13 billion in military assistance has been allocated for America’s historic ally Israel in its war against Hamas. The money will essentially be used to reinforce Israel’s “Iron Dome” air defenses.

More than $9 billion will be earmarked to address “the dire need for humanitarian assistance for Gaza as well as other vulnerable populations around the world,” the legislation says.

A third bill includes $8.12 billion for the Indo-Pacific.

The money will be used to counter China through investment in submarine infrastructure and boosting competition with Beijing on projects built in developing countries.

Several billion dollars would also be devoted to weapons for Taiwan, the self-ruled island that is claimed by China.

The fourth bill includes a provision that would force TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or face a nationwide ban in the United States, where it has around 170 million users.

Bill to be voted on after rare bipartisan coordination

The bill has been brought to the House for a vote after a rare bipartisan 316-94 House majority on Friday chose to press ahead with it after months of back-and-forth.

“It’s not the perfect legislation, it’s not the legislation that we would write if Republicans were in charge of both the House, the Senate, and the White House,” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Friday.

“This is the best possible product that we can get under these circumstances to take care of these really important obligations.”

Representative Bob Good, chair of the hardline House Freedom Caucus, told reporters on Friday that the bills represent a “slide down into the abyss of greater fiscal crisis and America-last policies that reflect Biden and Schumer and [House Democratic leader Hakeem] Jeffries, and don’t reflect the American people.”

But Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who carries huge influence in the party, on April 12 voiced support for Johnson and in a Thursday social media post said Ukraine’s survival is important for the U.S.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told senators to be ready to work over the weekend if it passes the House as expected.

Related Topics

  • Russia-Ukraine war,
  • Ukraine
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US House approves crucial Ukraine aid deal (2024)

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