Lawmakers in the US House of Representatives approved legislation on Saturday aimed at providing essential aid to Ukraine and Israel, while also strengthening support for Taiwan. Additionally, the legislation includes a provision threatening a ban on TikTok if it does not divest from Beijing.
These bills were passed during an unusual Saturday session, receiving overwhelming bipartisan support. However, the approval of these bills has raised questions about the future of House Speaker Mike Johnson, as he faces opposition from far-right critics.
US President Joe Biden praised the passage of these bills, stating that they would offer vital support to Israel and Ukraine, provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, and other regions, and enhance security in the Indo-Pacific region. He commended lawmakers for uniting across party lines to address critical issues.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also welcomed the long-awaited aid package, emphasizing that the military and economic assistance would have a significant impact in saving lives.
Not surprisingly, Russia took the opposite view.
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“It will further enrich the United States of America and ruin Ukraine even more, by killing even more Ukrainians because of the Kyiv regime,” said presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, state news agency TASS reported.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer indicated that the bill could be considered as early as Tuesday, with subsequent approval sending it to President Biden for his signature.
These bills are the culmination of extensive negotiations, pressure from US allies, and repeated appeals for assistance from President Zelensky.
While the United States has been a primary military supporter of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, Congress has not authorized significant funding for its ally in over a year and a half, largely due to partisan disputes.
President Biden and Democratic lawmakers have been advocating for substantial new weapons aid for Ukraine for several months. However, influenced by former President Trump, Republicans have been hesitant to allocate funds to Kyiv for the prolonged conflict.
The financing of the war has become a contentious issue ahead of the upcoming presidential election in November, which is expected to feature Biden and Trump as rivals once again.
After months of indecision, Speaker Johnson eventually threw his support behind the $61 billion package for Ukraine.
“To put it bluntly, I’d rather send bullets to Ukraine than American boys,” Johnson said.
The small group of far-right Republicans who had previously threatened to remove Johnson from his position seemed to step back on Saturday, at least for the time being.
“I’m going to give my colleagues the opportunity to go back to their districts and listen to their constituents’ concerns about the vote,” stated Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene during an interview on CNN.
In addition to providing aid to Ukraine, the bill grants President Biden the authority to seize and sell Russian assets, using the proceeds to support Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts. This measure has garnered support from other G7 nations.
At Biden’s request, some $8 billion under one bill would be used to counter China through investment in submarine infrastructure and boosting competition with Beijing on projects built in developing countries.
Several billion dollars would be devoted to weapons for Taiwan, the self-ruled island that is claimed by China.
The first of the bills passed Saturday would force TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or face a nationwide ban in the United States, where it has around 170 million users.
Western officials have voiced alarm over the popularity of TikTok with young people, alleging that it is subservient to Beijing and a conduit to spread propaganda — claims denied by the company.
TikTok sharply denounced the bill, saying it “would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate seven million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the US economy annually,” a TikTok spokesman said.
A total of $13 billion in military assistance has been allocated for America’s historically Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza.
The money will essentially be used to reinforce Israel’s Iron Dome air defences.
More than $9 billion will be earmarked to address “the dire need for humanitarian assistance for Gaza as well as other vulnerable populations around the world,” the legislation says.
Officials of NATO, the European Union and Germany welcomed the passage of the Ukraine bill in the House.
Source: Punch
