Senate Passes $95 Billion Foreign Aid Package, Possible TikTok Ban

On Tuesday evening, the Senate passed the $95 billion foreign aid package, including $60 billion for Ukraine, $26 billion for Israel, $8 billion for Indo-Pacific, and significant amounts for humanitarian assistance to Gaza. The package also included a TikTok divestment bill that would force the parent company of the popular social media app, ByteDance, to sell the company to a US firm within a year.

The final vote on the bill was 79 in favor and 18 against. The senators who voted against the legislation include Sens. Barasso, Blackburn, Braun, Budd, Cruz, Hagerty, Hawley, Johnson, Lee, Lummis, Marshall, Merkley, Rubio, Sanders, Schmitt, Scott, Vance, and Welch. Three other senators, Sens. Rand Paul, Tim Scott, and Tommy Tuberville, abstained from the vote. President Biden is expected to sign the legislation into law on Wednesday.

The Senate passed the legislation after a contentious fight in the House of Representatives that saw Speaker Mike Johnson nearly lose his job due to a large segment of Republicans opposing the package. The legislation, backed by both Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), was nearly identical to the Senate's earlier iteration of the bill that was sent to the House earlier this year. The only substantial difference was that $9.5 billion of the aid to Ukraine was in the form of loans that could be forgiven by the president in the coming years.

"After more than six months of hard work, many twists and turns in the road, America sends a message to the entire world: We will not turn our back on you," Schumer said in a statement following the vote. President Biden also praised the hard work of congressional lawmakers and vowed to sign the legislation. "Tonight, a bipartisan majority in the Senate joined the House to answer history's call at this critical inflection point. Congress has passed my legislation to strengthen our national security and send a message to the world about the power of American leadership: we stand resolutely for democracy and freedom, and against tyranny and oppression," Biden said.

The package, according to The Wall Street Journal, is broken up as follows:

• $60 billion for Ukraine
  • $20.5 billion to European Command operations
  • $15.8 billion for security assistance
  • $13.4 billion to replenish American weapon stockpiles
  • $9.5 billion in forgiveable loans
  • $900 million in general expenses
• $26.3 billion for Israel
  • $13 billion for defensive activities
  • $9.2 billion in humanitarian aid
  • $3.6 billion in security assistance
  • $600 million in general expenses
• $8.1 billion for Indo-Pacific
  • $5.6 billion for deterrence
  • $2 billion in military spending
  • $300 million for shipyards
  • $300 million in general expenses

While many in Washington are celebrating the $95 billion of foreign aid, some Republican senators voiced their concern with the package. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) explained that his vote against the package was one of the toughest votes he has made in his Senate career. The Texas senator's main concern was the humanitarian aid to Gaza, which he believes could fall into the hands of Hamas. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) explained on the Senate floor before the vote that he would be opposing the legislation because of the fear that it would drag the United States into a broader conflict.

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