US House passes aid to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan along with TikTok ban

The US House of Representatives has passed a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and other US allies overseas.

House Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled a plan to hold votes on Saturday on four separate foreign aid bills and later combine them into a package, a move that has angered some far-right House Republicans.

Besides aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, the fourth bill includes other national security priorities, including a possible TikTok ban, a provision to help pay for aid by using seized Russian assets, and sanctions and other measures to confront Russia, China and Iran.

First, the House voted in favour of a bill to effectively ban TikTok in the US – if it is not bought by a US company – with a vote of 360-58.

Secondly, the House overwhelmingly passed a bill to provide aid to Taiwan and Indo-Pacific allies, with a vote of 385-34.

On a vote of 311-112, the House passed the $60.8 billion aid bill to aid Ukraine as it continues to fight off Russia’s war that began in February 2022.

With the passage of that bill, the Democrats cheered and waved Ukrainian flags and chanted "Ukraine."

The delay in passing the Ukraine aid has led to fears that the US would let Russia win the war, as Ukraine lacked the means and firepower to fight off Russia’s superior numbers and weapons.

Netanyahu praises aid bill

Finally, the House passed $26 billion in aid for Israel with a vote of 366-58, wrapping up its work on the four-bill foreign aid package.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the "much-appreciated aid bill" showed strong support for Israel and "defends Western civilisation."

More than $9 billion will be earmarked to address "the dire need for humanitarian assistance for Gaza as well as other vulnerable populations around the world," the legislation says.

The Senate is expected to pass the measure next week, after which President Joe Biden has pledged to sign it into law.

Following the passage of the bills, Biden thanked Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and the bipartisan coalition of lawmakers in the House who voted to put national security first.

“I urge the Senate to quickly send this package to my desk so that I can sign it into law and we can quickly send weapons and equipment to Ukraine to meet their urgent battlefield needs,” he said in a statement.

At least three far-right Republicans have threatened to unseat Johnson over his bringing the bills to the floor for a vote.