Senate on track to pass $95 billion foreign aid package this week after months of delay

Washington CNN —

The Senate will take up the House-passed $95 billion foreign aid package this week, as the legislation nears its final congressional action after both sides of Capitol Hill have struggled for months to send aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer implored his colleagues to pass the package Tuesday, urging senators to “not keep our friends around the world waiting for a moment longer.”

“The Senate convenes in a moment nearly six months in the making,” the Democrat from New York said. “A few days ago, the House of Representatives, at long last, approved essential National Security funding for Ukraine, for Israel, for the Indo Pacific, and further humanitarian assistance. Today is the Senate’s turn to act.”

The legislation ties together four bills that the House voted on separately in a rare Saturday session, providing nearly $61 billion in aid for Ukraine, over $26 billion for Israel and more than $8 billion for the Indo-Pacific. The first three bills are very similar to the package that the Senate passed earlier this year, which House Speaker Mike Johnson had originally refused to bring to the House floor.

The fourth bill increases sanctions on Russian assets and contains language that could lead to a ban on TikTok in the US. It gives Chinese parent company ByteDance roughly nine months to sell TikTok, or the app will be banned from American app stores.

The Senate begins with two procedural votes on Tuesday afternoon, interrupting a previously scheduled recess. While the chamber is expected to have enough support from both parties to pass the legislation, the exact timing for a final vote remains a question as any one senator can slow the process before sending