US Senate says yes to billion-dollar package for Ukraine – 5 questions and answers After shots fired at megachurch in Texas – gunman dead

And Washington is on the move. By a vote of 70-29, the Senate on Tuesday approved an aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other US allies. Is this a breakthrough in the bitter debate over continued arms aid to Ukraine?

What did the Senate decide?

The hastily put together package includes aid money for Ukraine ($60.1 billion), Israel ($14.1 billion), the Palestinian civilian population ($9.2 billion) and Taiwan ($4.8 billion). The bill met with strong resistance from right-wing Republicans and left-wing Democrats. However, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, the opposition ran out of steam.

What’s next?

The bill now goes to the House of Representatives. There the pack is threatened with premature extinction. Speaker Mike Johnson, who as chairman of the Grand Chamber of Congress is responsible for the agenda, has already announced this. Johnson, a Republican and ally of former President Donald Trump, is basing his opposition on a missing part of the package: It does not include new funding to protect the U.S. border with Mexico. And no changes to immigration laws, as many Republicans and some Democrats are demanding. With this piece of the puzzle missing, the House of Representatives must now “impose its own will,” Johnson said.

Why does the chairman not want to allow a separate vote?

Speaker Johnson is in a precarious position due to the narrow majority in the House of Representatives. He is in danger of losing his position again after just four months if the right wing of his faction feels rejected. That is why Johnson wants to force the Democratic-dominated Senate to massively tighten immigration laws. However, this demand does not have a majority among Democrats, which obviously did not escape the speaker’s attention. Ultimately, a stalemate arises. Johnson seems to believe that he can win this political poker game – also because the chaotic situation at the border with Mexico interests American voters more than the war in Ukraine.

Can this impasse be broken?

Yes, at least on paper. An absolute majority of the members of the House of Representatives – at least 218 representatives – could force a vote on the aid package with the help of a parliamentary maneuver (“discharge petition”). The Democrats currently have 212 representatives and the Republicans 219. So President Joe Biden’s party would have to convince at least 6 Republicans to switch sides. That’s not a high hurdle; Any right-wing lawmaker who voted for the relief package would immediately find themselves at the center of a firestorm orchestrated by Trump’s supporters.

What does this mean for Ukraine?

The Ukrainian president expressed his gratitude for the Senate’s decision in a statement on internet service X on Tuesday. “This really contributes to self-confidence and motivation,” says Volodimir Selenski in a video message. Ukraine is dependent on new weapons from the US, which, it should be noted, are manufactured by American workers in American production facilities. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday: “If the far right were to reject this bill, it would be a huge gift to Vladimir Putin.” (aargauerzeitung.ch)