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US Senate advances aid bill for Ukraine despite Trump opposition

  • Democrat-led Senate voted 67-27 in rare Sunday session to clear latest hurdle and moved US$95.34 billion foreign aid package towards an ultimate vote
  • Next Senate action is expected on Monday. The aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan faces opposition from Republican hardliners and Donald Trump

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The US Capitol. The Senate is voting to move forward foreign aid measures for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Photo: Los Angeles Times / TNS
Reuters

A narrowly divided US Senate moved closer to passing a US$95.34 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan on Sunday, showing undiminished bipartisanship despite opposition from Republican hardliners and Donald Trump.

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The Democrat-led Senate voted 67-27 in a rare Sunday session to clear the latest procedural hurdle and moved the foreign aid measure toward an ultimate vote on passage in the coming days.

The money is viewed as crucial by Kyiv, as it grinds towards the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But Senate passage would send the bill on to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where it faces an uncertain future.
Republican presidential candidate and former US president Donald Trump in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
Republican presidential candidate and former US president Donald Trump in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
Eighteen Republicans backed the legislation after Trump, the dominant Republican White House candidate, criticised the bill on social media by saying that the foreign aid should take the form of a loan. Trump also sparked exasperation at home and abroad by saying he would encourage aggression against Nato allies who do not pay their dues to the alliance.

Ahead of Sunday’s vote, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell chided those who he said would disregard US global interests, bemoan American leadership and lament international commitments.

“This is idle work for idle minds, and it has no place in the United States Senate,” McConnell said. “American leadership matters. And it is in question.”

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Democratic President Joe Biden, who has been seeking the aid for months, on Friday said Congress would be guilty of “neglect” if it failed to pass the measure.

The next Senate action is expected on Monday evening, when lawmakers will hold two procedural votes: one to adopt the foreign aid package as an amendment to an underlying House bill; and a second to limit debate ahead of a final vote on passage, which could come on Wednesday, according to aides.

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