Register

Sign In
Home
News
Sport
Business
Innovation
Culture
Travel
Earth
Video
Live

US Congress close to passing long-awaited Ukraine aid

3 hours ago
By Anthony Zurcher,
BBC News, Washington

Share
Getty Images Ukrainian soldiers fire a mortarGetty Images
Ukraine has grown increasingly impatient for more Western support
After months of delay, the US House of Representatives appears poised to hold a
vote on tens of billions of dollars in American military aid for Ukraine and Israel
this weekend.

Both measures have vocal opponents in Congress, however, and their hopes of passage
have hinged on a fragile bipartisan coalition to overcome daunting procedural and
legislative obstacles in their way.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has said he is determined to bring the matter to
a vote, even if it may put his hold on power in jeopardy.

The Ukraine vote will be closely watched in Kyiv, which has warned of the urgent
need for fresh support from its allies as Russia makes steady gains on the
battlefield.

What's in the aid bills?

Mr Johnson's foreign aid proposal provides $60.8bn (£49bn) to Ukraine, $26.4bn to
Israel and $8.1bn to the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan. The House of
Representatives will vote on each component individually, raising the possibility
that some components will be approved and others will fail.

The Speaker is also bringing a fourth piece of legislation to a vote, which

includes a requirement that Chinese company ByteDance divest itself of the TikTok
social media app, authorising the sale of frozen Russian assets, and imposing new
sanctions on Russia, Iran and China.

Whatever passes will be combined into one bill that will then have to be approved
in whole by the Senate before President Joe Biden can sign it into law.

Mr Johnson has also promised to introduce a new immigration reform bill that
contains provisions favoured by conservative Republicans in an attempt to win over
their support for the aid package.

Why have they been held up?

Polls show that a growing number of Republicans oppose any new aid to Ukraine. Some
liberals are against military support for Israel. While these sentiments were not
enough to prevent the US Senate from passing legislation that contained support for
both nations in February, it's been a different story in the House of
Representatives.

Mr Johnson has a slim majority in the chamber, and a handful of conservatives - led
by Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene - have threatened to push for his
removal if he backs new Ukraine aid.

Getty Images Ukrainian soldiers fire a mortarGetty Images

Ukraine has grown increasingly impatient for more Western support
Up until now, the Speaker has been reluctant to challenge his right-wing critics.
On Wednesday, however, he reversed course, saying his goal was to do the right
thing "and let the chips fall where they may".

Meanwhile, left-wing Democrats who object to Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza
have said that they will not allow the US to continue to be complicit in a human-
rights catastrophe. The Israel aid bill contains $9bn in humanitarian aid, which
may help win over some reluctant Democrats.

By allowing separate votes on Israel and Ukraine aid, Mr Johnson hopes to allow
individual legislators to vote against provisions they don't like without sinking
the entire effort.

What's at stake?
Biden administration officials have warned that the situation in Ukraine is dire.
The nation's military is running short on munitions and morale is low, as the
Russian army gains ground.

"There is a very real risk that the Ukrainians could lose on the battlefield by the
end of 2024, or at least put Putin in a position where he could essentially dictate
the terms of a political settlement," CIA Director Walter Burns said during a
speech in Texas on Thursday.

50,000 Russian soldiers confirmed dead by BBC

Ukraine warns of WW3 ahead of stalled US aid vote
During an interview with the BBC on Wednesday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys
Shmyhal said his nation needed new support "yesterday, not tomorrow, not today" and
warned that Ukraine would fall without American aid.

The situation for Israel's military is vastly different to the situation for
Ukraine's military. But Mr Biden said that the nation's high-tech air defences -
which received their most formidable test in last weekend's Iranian missile and
drone assault - needed to be replenished.

"This is a pivotal moment," Mr Biden wrote in the Wall Street Journal opinion piece
on Wednesday that called for the House of Representatives to act.

So will they pass?

Late on Thursday night, Democrats joined with Republicans allied with Mr Johnson to
ensure that the aid legislation cleared a formidable procedural hurdle in the House
Rules Committee despite dissent in conservative ranks.

On Friday morning, a similar coalition of Democrats and pro-aid Republicans in the

full House voted 316-94 to set up debate and final votes on the legislation on
Saturday afternoon. This comfortable margin is a strong indication that a large
bipartisan majority in the chamber is on course to approve the package.

Democratic support could also give Mr Johnson a political lifeline, as his strategy
of bypassing his party's hardcore conservatives to enact legislation may prompt
them to follow through on their threats to force a vote on his removal.
A Speaker having to rely on the backing of the minority party, particularly on
procedural votes, is rare in modern congressional history. But Mr Johnson's hold on
power is tenuous, and the legislators who oppose him - and his bid to provide aid
to Ukraine - occupy some key positions within the House's power structure.

Talking to reporters on Friday, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York
said Mr Johnson has had to manage a "very unruly" group of Republicans and praised
him for working to bring Ukraine aid to a vote.

Democrats may be wary of offering help to Mr Johnson, but the prospect of providing
new aid to Ukraine - a top foreign policy priority to their party and Mr Biden -
could make it worth the effort.

And that effort appears to be close to paying off.

Lawmakers to vote soon on stalled Ukraine aid

50,000 Russian soldiers confirmed dead by BBC
Ukraine warns of WW3 ahead of stalled US aid vote
War in Ukraine
Republican Party
Russia
US politics
US Congress
United States
Ukraine
Related
Children among seven dead in Russia strike on Ukraine
1 hr ago
Europe
Why is Ukraine short of weapons and what is being supplied?
4 hrs ago
Europe
After their PM halts Ukraine aid, Slovaks dig deep to help
6 hrs ago
Europe
More
5 mins ago
Investigators at the scene
Protester sets himself on fire outside Trump trial
The motive in the incident, which was witnessed by reporters at the scene, remains
unclear.

US & Canada
23 mins ago
A United Airlines plane on the ground in New Jersey
Video of US baseball coach in cockpit under FAA probe
Colorado Rockies hitting coach Hensley Meulens posted a video of himself on a
flight from Denver to Toronto.

US & Canada
3 hrs ago
Leonid Volkov
Three arrested over attack on Navalny ally
Leonid Volkov was hospitalised and his arm broken in the attack outside his
Lithuanian home in March.

Europe
3 hrs ago
Alex Ye's mugshot
School shooting averted after teen arrested: police
Police say a story the teen wrote depicting a mass shooting was not fictional and
was a violent threat.

US & Canada
5 hrs ago
Katie Jennings holding her daughter Rachel in hospital
'Little hero' seizure-free after Ukraine brain op
Epileptic Rachel Gribben, three, is going back to school after weeks among the bomb
sirens of Lviv.

Northern Ireland
Home
News
Sport
Business
Innovation
Culture
Travel
Earth
Video
Live
Audio
Weather
BBC Shop
BBC in other languages
Terms of Use
About the BBC
Privacy Policy
Cookies
Accessibility Help
Contact the BBC
Advertise with us
Do not share or sell my info
Contact technical support
Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the
content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.

Search news, topics and more

Home

News

Sport

Business

Innovation

Culture

Travel

Earth
Video

Live

Audio

Weather