After months of delays, the Home of Representatives handed a international support bundle that might ship funding to Ukraine and Israel — and encompassed a ban on TikTok — in a Saturday vote, regardless of the vocal opposition from some far-right members of Congress to the previous.
All 210 Democrats current for the vote sided in favor of the Ukraine support invoice to assist the beleaguered nation presently at conflict with Russia, whereas 112 Republicans voted in opposition to it. The vote comes after intense strain on Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), who faces threats of being faraway from his submit by a contingent of MAGA Republicans.
“That is the third betrayal by Mike Johnson,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) mentioned to CNN on the steps exterior Congress shortly after the vote, calling it a “international conflict bundle that does nothing to assist America.”
The widespread help by Democrats to supply support to Ukraine has fanned the flames in opposition to Johnson by Republicans, who’ve a slim majority within the chamber. Throughout the chamber vote, a number of Democrat lawmakers waved Ukrainian flags, angering some Republicans.
“All Democrats waiving Ukrainian flags in your Home flooring when the invoice handed sending one other 60B of your treasure to fund the conflict machine,” Rep. Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana) wrote on X, previously Twitter. “100% deficit cash. Borrowed on the backs of your youngsters. Get up America.”
Saturday’s support bundle would disburse practically $61 billion to Ukraine, $26.4 billion to Israel, and $8.1 billion to the Indo-Pacific area, together with Taiwan.
A part of the help bundle included a ban on TikTok in america until the social media app is divested from its Chinese language guardian firm, ByteDance. By tying the TikTok ban to a international support invoice, the Home can power motion by the Senate to vote on the difficulty, which has stalled for the reason that Home first handed a ban final March.
The Israel support invoice, which additionally consists of humanitarian support to civilians in battle zones that embrace the Gaza Strip, additionally handed the home vote Saturday with 58 votes in opposition to it: 21 Republicans and 37 Democrats. A number of Jewish members of Congress, together with Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) and Becca Balint (D-Vermont) have been amongst these to vote in opposition to the help to Israel. Lots of the Republicans who voted in opposition to Israel support, similar to Greene, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Arizona) opposed the help bundle unilaterally.
“The USA taxpayers shouldn’t be funding deadly, unconditional navy support to a authorities that has created a catastrophic humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza,” Rep. Barbara Lee (D-California), one of many dissenting votes, mentioned in a press release.
