Senate passes $95.3bn aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

Joe Sommerlad

13 February 2024 at 7:04 am·1-min read

The Senate has passed a $95.3bn aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan in a rare pre-dawn vote, pushing ahead after months of difficult negotiations and amid growing political divisions in the Republican Party over the role of the United States abroad.

The vote came after a small group of Republicans opposed to the $60bn for Ukraine held the Senate floor through the night, using the final hours of debate to argue that America should focus on its own problems before sending more money overseas.

In the end, more than a dozen Republicans voted with almost all Democrats to pass the package 70-29, with supporters arguing that abandoning Ukraine risked emboldening Russian president Vladimir Putin and threatening national security across the world.

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