Credit: Office of the President of Ukraine
With help from Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick’s votes, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a $95 billion foreign aid package on Saturday.
The package targets assistance for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan after legislative delays and political bickering.
The bill received support from both sides of the aisle and is set to be addressed by the Senate early next week.
Fitzpatrick, a four-term Republican, issued the below statement:
“We must defend our borders, and we must defend our freedom-loving allies whose democracies have come under assault by terrorists and communist dictators. Today, a majority of the House of Representatives agreed with each and every one of these principles. Borders = Democracies. Democracies = Freedom.”
Ahead of the vote, Fitzpatrick posted on his website that the “passage will tell the world that the United States will not stand by as dictators, terrorists, and totalitarians seek to expand their influence around the world.”
The package allocates $61 billion to support Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s ongoing invasion, $26 billion for Israel including humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones such as Gaza, and $8 billion aimed at bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region, including finances for military gear for Taiwan.
The weekend vote comes after months of intense negotiations and strategic consolidations of separate aid bills into one comprehensive package, according to reports.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, the Louisiana Republican who advanced the vote, faced backlash from hardline conservatives but held firm on the need of the aid.
President Joe Biden praised the bipartisan effort and urged the Senate to act swiftly.
“Today, members of both parties in the House voted to advance our national security interests and send a clear message about the power of American leadership on the world stage,” Biden said in a statement.
The president added: “This package will deliver critical support to Israel and Ukraine; provide desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, and other locations impacted by conflicts and natural disasters around the world; and bolster security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. It comes at a moment of grave urgency, with Israel facing unprecedented attacks from Iran, and Ukraine under continued bombardment from Russia.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, indicated that the Senate would begin processing the aid package with a vote scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
“To our friends in Ukraine, to our allies in NATO, to our allies in Israel, and to civilians around the world in need of aid: rest assured America will deliver yet again,” Schumer said.
In a social media post, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Congress for the passage of the aid.
“I am grateful to the United States House of Representatives, both parties, and personally Speaker Mike Johnson for the decision that keeps history on the right track,” he said.
Former President Donald Trump voiced his criticism over the weekend regarding European contributions to Ukraine, questioning why the U.S. continues to outspend European nations.
The foreign aid bill was part of a broader legislative agenda on Saturday, which also saw the passage of a bill imposing restrictions on the social media platform TikTok. The legislation, which Fitzpatrick supported, mandates that Bytedance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, divest its stake within a year or face a U.S. ban.
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