The Senate passed $95 billion in military assistance funding for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan early Tuesday morning. The final vote was 70-29. The bill now goes to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson has sworn not to bring the bill up for a vote. Twenty-two Republicans voted in favor of providing military aid to friendly and allied countries that are either under attack or facing that possibility. This is an addition of three votes from the last cloture vote.
The Republicans voting in favor were Boozman (MT), Capito (WV), Cassidy (LA), Collins (ME), Cornyn (TX), Cramer (ND), Crapo (ID), Ernst (IA), Grassley (IA), Hoeven (ND), Kennedy (LA), McConnell (KY), Moran (KS), Murkowski (AK), Risch (ID), Romney (UT), Rounds (SD), Sullivan (AK), Thune (SD), Tillis (NC), Wicker (MS), and Young (IN). The new affirmative votes were from John Boozman (MT), Kent Cramer (ND), Mike Crapo (ID), John Hoeven (ND), and Jim Risch (ID). Markwayne Mullen (OK) had voted for the previous cloture motion but voted against the final bill.
On the Democrat side, Welch (VT), Merkley (OR), and Sanders (I) voted “no” because the bill included for Israel to continue killing terrorists.
My colleague Joe Cunningham posted on Speaker Mike Johnson’s reaction.
My statement on Senate’s failure to address the most critical aspect of national security supplemental legislation: pic.twitter.com/ENjJ0WzKsK
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) February 13, 2024
The House has already passed one border security bill, H.R. 2, which went absolutely nowhere. Why another such bill should fare any better is a mystery, especially because the GOP and the Democrats have zero common ground on the issue.
Ukraine/Israel/Taiwan aid is supported by a majority of House Republicans and nearly all Democrats. Having laid down a marker like this, he can count his tenure as Speaker over if he doesn’t deliver. According to Politico, a discharge petition, forcing a vote on the bill, has been prepared to contain all Democrat members.
There’s already a shell petition with every single Democratic lawmaker attached that can be used to force a vote on the Senate aid bill – although some progressives could peel off out of opposition to its unconditional aid for Israel.
Some House Democrats have already held quiet conversations with Republicans about a pathway forward for the Senate aid package. But if Republicans are feeling any pressure to act on a bill that their presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump wants to kill, they’re not showing it yet.
Thom Tillis is discussing how to move the discharge petition forward with GOP House members.
Sen. Tillis tells us he has had conversations with House members about a discharge petition if Speaker Johnson won’t put the foreign aid bill on the floor
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) February 11, 2024
It remains to be seen how Johnson makes his statement stick.
