US Senate Drives Ukraine Aid Bill Forward Despite Conservative Resistance

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said legislators 'cannot simply shirk from our responsibilities' toward border security and Ukraine. AFP

A bipartisan coalition of senators Monday night made significant progress in advancing funding for Ukraine, Israel, and other defense priorities. Despite facing strong opposition from conservatives determined to obstruct the bill's passage, senators successfully approved three procedural motions.

The Senate voted 66-33 to end the dilatory debate on the $95 billion package. The decision sets the stage for a final vote on Tuesday or Wednesday, intending to send the bill to the House.

If the bill is successfully passed by the Senate, as anticipated, its next destination would be the Republican-led House, where its future is uncertain.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) passionately endorsed the bill ahead of the vote. He described it as a "down payment for the survival of Western democracy and the survival of American values."

Schumer urged his colleagues to bring the prolonged debate to an end, emphasizing that it had been long enough since President Joe Biden initially requested the package back in October.

Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) voted against the package, despite Merkley having previously sided with the Democrats to advance the bill during earlier procedural votes.

The debate also exposed the animosity that Senate conservatives harbor toward their leadership. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) went so far as to call for Senate Republican Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to step down from his leadership post during the week of Republican infighting.

Even Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), from McConnell's home state, labeled his support for the emergency foreign aid package as "outrageous."

Despite the criticism, McConnell emphasized that the country's security must not be compromised due to political games. He cautioned that the global order, in which American support is valued and feared, is currently at risk, and the United States has the most to lose.

McConnell dismissed his harshest critics in the Senate Republican conference, accusing them of harboring grudges after supporting an unsuccessful leadership bid by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) in the 2022 leadership election.