- The updated $95 billion supplemental bill without the border provisions captured the necessary 60 votes needed to move it forward
- It came after Republicans tanked a bipartisan $118 billion bipartisan deal to beef up border security while funding Ukraine and Israel earlier this week
The Senate advanced a massive foreign aid bill to Ukraine and Israel without border security measures after Republican turmoil ultimately tanked a bipartisan deal earlier this week.
On Wednesday, Republicans tanked a bipartisan $118 billion bipartisan deal to beef up border security while funding Ukraine and Israel. They accused it of not going far enough to secure the border and said it would cement Biden’s ‘open border’ policies.
But Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the Senate would still send money to critical allies of the U.S. through an updated $95 billion supplemental bill without the border provisions.
That bill captured the necessary 60 senators needed to break a filibuster and move it forward on Thursday in a 67-32 vote, but it faces an uncertain fate. If it ends up passing, it would also face a hurdle in the House.
It wasn’t easy to get Senate Republicans onboard as tempers flied over the tanked border deal.
Sen. John Thune, R-N.D., reportedly told his GOP colleagues they ‘need to stop being p****** and just vote,’ because the issue isn’t going away and U.S. allies need help.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., blamed Mitch McConnell for the dysfunction as other Republicans including Ted Cruz and Mike Lee called for ousting the longtime leader.
‘McConnell’s problem is he doesn’t talk to his members. He doesn’t listen to his members. He doesn’t talk to his members. He’s so focused on Zelensky. He’s got bigger problems than Zelensky.’
Sen. Lindsey Graham said he would block the bill unless he got an agreement on inserting an amendment on border security.
Democrats blamed former President Donald Trump, who inveighed against the borer deal, for pulling the strings and wrecking the chance of a compromise in an election year.
President Joe Biden ripped congressional Republicans for lacking ‘spine’ after they helped doom the deal that would have included $20 billion in new border enforcement funds.
‘When President Trump came along and said he didn’t want to solve the border problem, that he wanted it as a campaign issue, [House] Speaker Johnson obediently changed his tune, fumed Schumer.
He repeatedly connected the GOP‘s opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s invasion of Ukraine, which is approaching its two-year anniversary.
The bill will bring up ’emergency’ supplemental appropriations to provide $60 billion to Ukraine, boost support for Israel, and provide additional funds for Taiwan along with reconstruction aid for Gaza.
Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham, Pete Ricketts, Tommy Tuberville, Rick Scott, Mike Lee, Katie Britt, John Barrasso, Josh Hawley, Rand Paul, Roger Marshall and Jim Risch were among the dissenting votes. Sen. James Lankford, who negotiated the border provisions that failed to pass the Senate on Wednesday, voted no.