Despite former President Trump making his position on unconditional foreign aid clear, Republican senators nevertheless moved a bill to send $95 billion in aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan forward on Sunday.
In a 67-27 vote, the Senate advanced a foreign aid supplemental spending bill with the help of 18 Republicans.
“From this point forward, are you listening U.S. Senate (?), no money in the form of foreign aid should be given to any country unless it is done as a loan, not just a giveaway,” the former president said on Truth Social in all caps. “It can be loaned on extraordinarily good terms, like no interest and an unlimited life, but a loan nevertheless. The deal should be (contingent!) that the U.S. is helping you, as a nation, but if the country we are helping every turns against us, or strikes it rich sometime in the future, the loan will be paid off and the money returned to the United States. We should never give money anymore without the hope of a payback or without ‘strings’ attached. The United States of America should be ‘stupid’ no longer!”
The next Senate action is expected on Monday sometime after 8 p.m. EST (0100 GMT), when lawmakers are due to hold two procedural votes: one to adopt the foreign aid package as an amendment to an underlying House bill; and a second to limit debate ahead of a final vote on passage, which could come on Wednesday, according to aides.
The legislation includes $61 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel in its war against Hamas and $4.83 billion to support partners in the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan, and deter aggression by China.
It also would provide $9.15 billion in humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, Ukraine and other conflict zones around the globe.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has a slim 219-212 Republican majority, has indicated that he could try to split the aid provisions into separate measures once the bill arrives from the Senate. (Reuters)
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While the measure’s fate in the House in uncertain, some Republicans believe bipartisan passage in the upper chamber will allay concerns.
"It will shape the environment such that ... more Republicans will feel comfortable advancing the bill," GOP Sen. Todd Young of Indiana told reporters.
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