House’s $95 billion foreign aid package, including TikTok bill, heads to Senate

The House passed a foreign aid package on Saturday, April 20, a victory for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., as he managed dissent within his own party and turned to Democratic colleagues for support. The $95 billion package, divided across four bills, supports Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, replenishes U.S. arms, and includes measures to seize Russian assets and regulate TikTok.

The legislation directs $60 billion to aid Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, including military support efforts against Russian aggression.

“I think this support will really strengthen the armed forces, I pray, and we will have a chance at victory if Ukraine really gets the weapons system, which we need so much, which thousands of soldiers need so much,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Zelenskyy has been urgently requesting weapons and supplies for weeks to continue defending Ukraine against Russian attacks.

“We really need to get this to the final point. We need to get approved by the Senate,” Zelenskyy said. “Then we want to help get things as fast as possible so that we get some tangible assistance for the soldiers on the front line as soon as possible — not in another six months — so that they would be able to move ahead.”

The package includes $26 billion for Israel, with significant funding for missile defense systems and other military operations to counter threats from Iran.

In the Indo-Pacific, the proposal dedicates about $8 billion to strengthen U.S. and allied military capabilities, highlighting concerns over potential Chinese actions against Taiwan.

The fourth bill includes policies for Chinese company ByteDance to sell TikTok, stretching the deadline from six months to a year from a previous bill, busing Russian assets to fund Ukraine aid and increasing sanctions against international drug trafficking. The package, combined into one bill, now heads to the Senate.

The House’s foreign aid bill has provisions on Israel aid and TikTok that I support.

The biggest problem with the bill is what is not in it. It fails to secure the Texas-Mexico border.

The reason is simple: Democrats are unwilling to fund any type of meaningful border security. pic.twitter.com/tKPmjMPeCC

— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) April 21, 2024

Johnson faces criticism for not adding border-security measures sought by some GOP members to curb migrant influxes from Mexico. Other Republicans oppose the freeze on new U.S. liquefied natural gas export plants under the Biden administration.