US President Joe Biden on Tuesday called for Republicans in the US House of Representatives to urgently bring a US$95.3 billion aid package for Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel to a vote, warning that refusal to take up the bill, passed by the US Senate in the morning, would be “playing into Putin’s hands.”
“Supporting this bill is standing up to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” Biden said, raising his voice in strong comments from the White House as he referred to the Russian leader. “We can’t walk away now. That’s what Putin is betting on.”
However, the package faces a deeply uncertain future in the House, where hardline Republicans aligned with former US president Donald Trump — the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, and a critic of support for Ukraine — oppose the legislation.
Photo: Reuters
House Speaker Mike Johnson has cast new doubt on the package and made clear that it could be weeks or months before the US Congress sends the legislation to Biden’s desk — if at all.
The potential impasse comes at a crucial point in the nearly two-year war, and supporters warn that abandoning Ukraine could embolden Putin and threaten national security across the globe.
Yet the months-long push to approve the US$60 billion in aid for Kyiv that is included in the package has exposed growing political divisions in the Republican Party over the role of the US abroad.
Biden also lashed at Trump, who on Saturday said during a campaign appearance that he once warned he would allow Russia to do whatever it wants to NATO member nations that are “delinquent” in devoting 2 percent of their GDP to defense.
“When America gives its word it means something,” Biden said. “Donald Trump looks at this as if it’s a burden.”
The Senate vote came early on Tuesday after a small group of Republicans opposed to the US$60 billion for Ukraine held the Senate floor through the night, using the final hours of debate to argue that the US should focus on its own problems before sending more money overseas.
However, 22 Republicans voted with nearly all Democrats to pass the package 70-29.
“With this bill, the Senate declares that American leadership will not waver, will not falter, will not fail,” said Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who worked closely with Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on the legislation.
The bill’s passage through the Senate with a flourish of Republican support was a welcome sign for Ukraine amid critical shortages on the battlefield.
“Ukrainian soldiers out of artillery shells, Ukrainian units rationing rounds of ammunition to defend themselves, Ukrainian families worried that the next Russian strike will permanently plunge them into darkness, or worse,” Biden said.
The president appealed to House members in stark terms and called on Johnson to let the matter come to a vote.
Ukraine supporters were also hoping that the showing of bipartisan support in the Senate would pressure Johnson to advance the bill.
McConnell has made the issue his top priority over the past few months, and was resolute in the face of considerable pushback from his own Republican conference.
Speaking directly to his detractors, the longtime Republican leader said in a statement: “History settles every account. And today, on the value of American leadership and strength, history will record that the Senate did not blink.”
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
A colossal explosion in the sky, unleashing energy hundreds of times greater than the Hiroshima bomb. A blinding flash nearly as bright as the sun. Shockwaves powerful enough to flatten everything for miles. It might sound apocalyptic, but a newly detected asteroid nearly the size of a football field now has a greater than 1 percent chance of colliding with Earth in about eight years. Such an impact has the potential for city-level devastation, depending on where it strikes. Scientists are not panicking yet, but they are watching closely. “At this point, it’s: ‘Let’s pay a lot of attention, let’s
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
RSS