Mommy gets paid by the word and since Zelensky got his $61 billion grift money from the US Taxpayers, he gave her a very nice raise and a personal Slava Ukraini toast.
ROLLCALL UPDATE:
Aid finally set to flow as Senate clears $95.3B emergency bill: Action ends months long stalemate over whether to provide more money for Ukraine war effort
https://rollcall.com/2024/04/23/aid-finally-set-to-flow-as-senate-clears-95-3b-emergency-bill/
The measure would also authorize the seizure of an estimated $5 billion in frozen Russian assets to help pay for Ukraine assistance and toughen sanctions on Russia, Iran and China.
And it would force the divestiture of Chinese-owned TikTok or else ban the social media app in the U.S., and prohibit data brokers from selling Americans’ personal information to countries such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea or organizations controlled by those governments.
But for Ukraine, in particular, the package comes as a godsend for thousands of weary troops still trying to hold off Russian forces after a February 2022 invasion.
Kyiv has been forced to ration its arms in recent weeks as it waited for Congress to clear the emergency spending bill, and the measure’s all but certain enactment, probably this week, will mean the arrival soon of sorely needed weapons.
The Pentagon told reporters Tuesday it could begin funneling weapons to Ukraine within days of the bill becoming law.
In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., sought to make the package more palatable to restive Republicans by adding provisions to initial Senate legislation that included the seizure of frozen Russian assets and converting some of Ukraine’s economic aid into a loan.
Those tweaks helped convince some reluctant GOP senators who opposed the measure in February to support it this week.
“It’s just so much easier to go back home and say ‘listen, we’re asking people to pay us back when they can, if they can. We’re also going after the bad guys’ assets.’” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who switched his position to back the measure. “This is just a much better package. It’s more robust for Israel. So it’s good.”
Democrats had long been united on Ukraine aid, but Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip led to some fissures among progressives as the death toll of Palestinians climbed to the tens of thousands.
The path for final approval was cleared late Tuesday after Senate leaders abandoned efforts to reach agreement on amendment votes. Adoption of any amendments would have sent the package back to the House, which had already left town for the weeklong Passover recess.
Long road to passage
The initial effort to secure more foreign aid stretched back to August, when President Joe Biden first proposed a $40.1 billion emergency package for Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific, disaster relief and additional migrant resources at the U.S. southern border.
But the effort in the Senate began in earnest last fall and gained more urgency after Oct. 7, when Hamas militants invaded Israel from the Gaza Strip and slaughtered 1,200 Israelis while seizing hostages.
While Israel aid enjoyed strong bipartisan support, Republicans in both chambers sought to use Ukraine aid as leverage to push through new security measures at the U.S.-Mexico border.
But a hard-fought, bipartisan border compromise reached in the Senate in February collapsed after former President Donald Trump denounced it. The Senate then voted 70-29 for a $95.3 billion aid package that largely mirrors the final version it cleared Tuesday with some notable tweaks.
Some GOP conservatives who opposed the final bill said they felt betrayed by its lack of any new border security measures. [EXCERPT]
Mommy gets paid by the word and since Zelensky got his $61 billion grift money from the US Taxpayers, he gave her a very nice raise and a personal Slava Ukraini toast.
IMO, instead of seeking “leverage” for a border bill that will do nothing useful so long as Biden is in office, I think the border issue should be stand-alone. That more clearly exposes the Dems’ liabilities on the issue for the Nov. election, and they can’t claim they’ve done something about it, while the Pubbies can point to HR2 being denied even debate in the Senate.