In an extraordinary session held on Super Bowl Sunday, the US Senate voted to move forward with a large $95 billion aid package to support Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, without provisions for southern border security. The vote had the support of RINOs, with the final result standing at 67 votes to 27.
The vote came in response to Senator Rand Paul's (R-Ky.) steadfast refusal to speed up voting on the bill, which he strongly criticized and described as “corrupt” and harmful to national interests.
Expressing strong opposition, Senator Paul announced that he would not allow the bill to pass immediately, stressing his concerns about prioritizing foreign aid over domestic issues.
This bill sends a message to Americans that their elected officials do not care about them. I've never met a Kentuckian who says, “Fix Ukraine's borders before you fix ours.”
– Rand Paul (@RandPaul) February 8, 2024
According to Hill, Schumer offered Republicans the opportunity to vote on the amendments in exchange for speeding up the legislative process.
“By a vote of 67-27, the Senate invoked Murray's Substitute Amendment No. 1388 to H.R. 815, the supplemental appropriations legislative instrument,” wrote the Senate Press Gallery at X.
67 senators voted in favor of funding the war, while 27 members, all Republicans, opposed spending.
On Super Bowl Sunday, 18 Republican senators supported funding the war in Ukraine:
- Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
- Bill Cassidy (R-Los Angeles)
- Suzanne Collins (R-ME)
- John Cornyn (R-Texas)
- Joni Ernst (R-IA)
- Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)
- John Kennedy (R-Los Angeles)
- Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky)
- Jerry Moran (R-KS)
- Markwayne Mullen (R-OK)
- Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
- Mitt Romney (R-UT)
- Mike Rounds (R-SD)
- Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska)
- John Thune (R-SD)
- Thom Tillis (R-NC)
- Roger Wicker (R-MS)
- Todd Young (Republican – IN)
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) acknowledged the unusual scheduling.
“I can't remember the last time the Senate was in session on Super Bowl Sunday, but as I've said all week, we'll keep working on this bill until the job is done,” Schumer said.
This comes after Republican senators on Wednesday voted against introducing a “border security bill” that would have allocated more money to foreign countries while largely ignoring the US border.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would move forward with a backup plan.
On Thursday, Schumer made good on his promise, and the Democratic-led Senate advanced a streamlined bill aimed at providing aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, but not the southern border that is currently invaded by illegal immigrants.
In a 67-32 vote, the Senate crossed party lines, with several Reno senators joining Democrats to push the foreign aid bill forward.
After Sunday's vote, Mitch McConnell issued the following statement:
“Since the first days of Vladimir Putin’s escalation in Ukraine, America’s closest allies and partners have been closely monitoring the matter.
“From halfway around the world in the Indo-Pacific region, our friends have made clear that they see their future in the struggle of the Ukrainian people.
From Taiwan, the survival of Ukraine means the survival of Taiwan.
From Japan, security in Europe and security in the Indo-Pacific are inseparable.
From Australia: It is in the interest of every free nation that Putin's aggression fails.
“But why? Why do peaceful people dare to get involved in other people’s fights?
He asked: “Why are leaders in Asia contributing billions of dollars and weapons to help Ukraine defeat Russian aggression?”
“Why would the Prime Minister of Japan and the President of South Korea bother with long wartime trips to Kyiv to express solidarity with Ukraine?
“Why don't we pull the drawbridge and stay calm?
“Because our allies and partners are not naive.
“Because they know that unbridled aggression breeds more.
“Because they know that a Russian victory means a green light for China.
“Because they know that neglecting Ukraine’s struggle to regain its sovereignty increases the costs of defending its sovereignty.
“Our partners do not have the luxury of pretending that the world's most dangerous abusers are someone else's problem.
“Neither do we.
“So, today it is no exaggeration to say that the eyes of the world are on the US Senate.
“Our allies and partners hope that this indispensable nation – the leader of the free world – will have the resolve to keep going. Our opponents hope for something completely different.
“Friends and enemies, alike, pay close attention to what we say here. And how we vote.
“Because American leadership matters. And that's the question.
“But let's be completely clear:
“The United States did not give our greatest generation to fight against Nazi Germany or commit half a century of focus and resources to defeat Soviet Communism solely out of a sense of altruism. We do not help our partners resist today's totalitarian aggression out of some warm and fuzzy sentiment of philanthropy.
“We did not equip the brave people of Ukraine, Israel, or Taiwan with lethal capabilities so that we could win charitable accolades.
“We are not urgently strengthening defenses in the Indo-Pacific because it is a good thing.
“We are not exercising American power frivolously. We are doing so because it is in our interest.
“We are preparing our friends to face our common adversaries, so we are less likely to have to spend American lives defeating them.
“I have warned for years of growing threats to American national security and increasing coordination among our adversaries.
“I have worked for many years to direct more investment toward the hard power needed to deter them.
The Russian tyrant trying to invade Ukraine also wants to see America weakened.
“The Chinese autocrat who hopes to subjugate Taiwan also wants to consign American leadership to history.
“The Iranian regime that is preparing the massacre of Israeli Jews and the terrorist war on international trade also wants to destroy our influence in the region and shed American blood in the process.
“They tell us that by their actions.
“Pretending not to hear them is not an option.
“Delaying until the costs in American lives and treasure rise immeasurably is not an option.
“It is time to stand up to these mounting threats.
“Every night, millions of Americans sleep peacefully because our brave men and women continue to answer the call to service in our nation's armed forces.
“Every day, millions of Americans turn for their livelihood to an economic system built and guaranteed by American leadership.
And every time peace and prosperity are threatened, we stand with allies and partners who trust in the fairness of that leadership and the credibility of our commitments.
“Today, the future of the world I just described is in question.
“The ability of a regime that craves American support and fears American power has been called into question.
“And we, the United States of America, have a lot to lose.
“Since we provided aid to our allies 80 years ago, America has been an inseparable partner in Europe's security.
“Not out of charity, but because our security and prosperity are linked to it.
“Since we were attacked in 1941, America has helped ensure stability and free trade in the Indo-Pacific region.
Not as a moral gesture, but because we have our own fundamental interests in this important part of the world.
“Since the creation of the modern Jewish state of Israel in 1948, America has stood by it.
“Not out of generosity, but because of the enduring values and interests we share – in security, democracy and peace.
“I know it has become fashionable in some circles to ignore the global interests we have as a world power. To bemoan the responsibilities of global leadership. To bemoan the commitment that has been the basis of the longest drought of great power conflict in human history.
“This is idle work for idle minds.
“He has no place in the United States Senate.
“In this room, we must face the world as it is.
“We must reject darker and more short-sighted views about our obligations, and grapple instead with the actual problems.
“As they come. In the harsh light of day.”
“Today, the questions facing this body are very simple.
“Will we give those who want us harm more reason to question our resolve? Or will we recommit ourselves to the exercise of American power?”
“Will we give those who yearn for our leadership more reason to wonder whether it is in decline? Or will we invest in the credibility that underpins our entire way of life?”
“I cannot answer these questions for any of my colleagues. But none of us can misunderstand them.”
