12 GOP Senators Vote to Give Ukraine More Funding

(LibertySociety.com) – Since the outset of the war in Ukraine, the United States has sent a whopping $113 billion to assist in the country’s efforts to defend itself against Russia. Late last year, President Biden requested a foreign aid package to be passed by Congress that would send more money to Ukraine, but would also include funding for Israel, Taiwan, and humanitarian assistance in Gaza. Republicans refused to pass any type of package that did not include funding to secure the southern border. An alleged bipartisan Senate aid package was then crafted, which purportedly included border security provisions and funding. The bill died in the Senate after lawmakers were finally allowed to read the text that included the allowance of up to 5,000 illegal migrant entries into the United States per day.

Senate leadership went back to the drawing board and introduced a $95 billion foreign aid package that did not include border security. Twelve of the Republican Senators who had previously vowed that they would not vote for legislation that did not include border security ultimately voted to advance the bill. West Virginia Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito said in December that national security included securing the southern border. Also in December, Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy said that the southern border must be secured before the United States could provide more foreign aid. Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst said that she did not have a problem with sending more aid, but that national security concerns at the southern border needed to be addressed as well.

The other Republican senators who previously told various media outlets that they would not support an aid package without border security funding include Texas Senator John Cornyn, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, Utah Senator Mitt Romney, Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan, South Dakota Senator John Thune, Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, Maine Senator Susan Collins, and Indiana Senator Todd Young. A total of 17 Republicans joined the Democrats to advance the bill. After hours of filibustering from other Republican Senators who opposed the bill, 22 Republicans joined 48 Democrats to pass the bill and send it to the House.