(ConservativeFreePress.com) – On Tuesday morning, the Senate passed in a 70 to 29 vote a $95 billion national security supplemental package which includes aid for the Indo-Pacific, Israel, and Ukraine. The bill was supported by 22 GOP Senators, while two Democrats, Jeff Merkley and Peter Welch, along with independent Sen. Bernie Sanders all voted no.
The supplemental package did not include any provisions related to border security and was passed despite the calls for spending cuts in order to offset the $34 trillion national debt. Many Republicans have been collectively filibustering the bill, including Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.
The package specifically included $5 billion for the Indo-Pacific, $9 billion to be spent for humanitarian aid in Gaza, $14 billion going to Israel, and $60 billion on assistance for Ukraine. Previously the Republicans had blocked the $118 billion package when it included a number of border provisions that had been negotiated by a group of bipartisan senators.
Since the start of the Russian invasion in Feb. 2022, the U.S. has spent over $100 billion in support of Ukraine.
In a statement on Tuesday, President Joe Biden applauded the bipartisan group of Senators that voted for this agreement and urged the House to look at this bill urgently. He further pointed out that the costs of not taking any action, especially in Ukraine, were increasing each day. As he pointed out there were reports that Ukrainian troops were low on ammunition and that the Russian forces were continuing to attack the country.
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