(NewsNation) — The Senate passed a bill early Tuesday that would send billions in military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Pacific Island allies, but House leadership has already signaled their skepticism.
The vote was 70-29. It began at 5:15 a.m. after opponents delayed it overnight.
The framework of the bill comes from the failed attempt at a compromise on U.S. border security that Republicans seek and Ukraine aid that Democrats have called imperative to thwarting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s victory in the war.
“History settles every account,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement after the vote. “And today, on the value of American leadership and strength, history will record that the Senate did not blink.”
But House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said in a statement the package lacking border security provisions leaves it “silent on the most pressing issue facing our country.” It was the latest — and potentially most consequential — sign of opposition to the bill.
“Now, in the absence of having received any single border policy change from the Senate, the House will have to continue to work its own will on these important matters,” Johnson said. “America deserves better than the Senate’s status quo.”
The deal includes $60 billion for Ukraine; $14 billion for Israel; $9 billion for humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Ukraine; and $4.8 billion to support allies in the Indo-Pacific.
Support for sending military aid to Ukraine has waned among Republicans, but lawmakers have cast the aid as a direct investment in American interests to ensure global stability. The package would allot roughly $60 billion to Ukraine, and about a third of that would be spent replenishing the U.S. military with the weapons and equipment that are sent to Kyiv.
“I believe that if Speaker Johnson brought this bill to the House floor it would pass with the same strong bipartisan support,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said after the bill passed.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
