WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate recently passed a significant foreign aid package, a $95 billion bipartisan-backed bill, with a vote of 70-29, despite opposition from House Republicans who doubt the bill’s chance to proceed to a vote. The package includes support for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, without any alterations to U.S. border policy. This was a point of contention initially with Republicans, who had demanded changes to the Biden administration’s border policies before supporting the foreign aid provisions.
Following months of bipartisan negotiations, a border-plus-foreign-aid deal was introduced earlier this month but quickly fell apart. Several Republican senators voiced their opposition to the 300-plus page bill within hours of its release, intending to use the border crisis as a focal point in the 2024 campaign season. Many of them echoed concerns raised by GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump.
The bill’s failure to meet hard-line demands on border provisions led to its rejection by House Republicans. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., stated that the House will continue to work independently on security funding, with no changes to America’s border policy being received from the Senate.
The bill was released after the collapse of the border agreement and initially had the support of House Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other GOP defense hawks. However, under pressure from former President Donald Trump, more Republicans began to question their support for the bill. Trump’s remarks at a recent campaign rally, where he expressed reluctance to defend NATO allies against Russian attacks if they did not meet his defense spending criteria, further fueled divisions within the party.
Despite McConnell’s defense of U.S. investments in NATO and other allies, many of his GOP members vehemently opposed the bill. Some, led by Sen. Rand Paul, gave lengthy speeches to delay Senate proceedings, despite it being evident that the bill had enough votes to pass. The Senate’s process coincided with a major national security conference in Munich, closely watched by top government officials representing America’s major allies.