Senate to hold key test vote on Ukraine aid, Israel funding and TikTok ban

WASHINGTON — The Senate is poised to vote Tuesday to advance the $95 billion aid package to provide critical aid to Ukraine and a provision that could lead to a nationwide ban on TikTok.

The package, which passed the House on Saturday, includes $60 billion in aid to Ukraine that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said would give his country “a chance at victory” against Russia. It includes $26 billion in aid to Israel and humanitarian relief in Gaza, in addition to $8 billion for security in Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific.

And it would give TikTok’s China-based parent company nine months, which the president could extend to a year, to sell the popular social media platform or be banned in the U.S. That puts TikTok closer than ever before to a prohibition while ensuring that it won’t be banned until after the 2024 election.

The Senate vote scheduled for Tuesday won’t be on final passage of the bill. But it will be a key indicator of whether the legislation has enough support to head to President Joe Biden’s desk.

Senators on Tuesday afternoon will discuss whether they can reach a deal to quickly vote to pass the bill the same day or whether to wait until Wednesday to approve it.

“The finish line is now in sight,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement over the weekend, saying the bill’s passage would be “a watershed moment for the defense of democracy.”

Two months ago, the Senate voted 70-29 to pass a similar $95 billion foreign aid package — but without the TikTok provision.

Still, there are signs that the Senate is receptive to the TikTok ban bill, which the House revised.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the chair of the Commerce Committee, endorsed the new bill, saying she’s “very happy” with the