Monday morning news: April 22, 2024

Senate debate on foreign aid » The U.S. Senate this week is expected to approve $95 billion dollars in foreign aid funding which passed in the House over the weekend. That would include some $60 billion dollars in military aid to Ukraine, and Democratic Sen. Mark Warner says the need is dire.

WARNER: They have been literally given out rationed bullets, 8 to 10 bullets a day. On artillery shells, Russians 10 to 1. You can’t underestimate the Ukrainians’ grit, determination, but if they don’t have the materials, they can’t carry this fight.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham says the aid to Ukraine is not charity. He noted that a major U.S. adversary is being weakened every day without a drop of American blood being spilled.

GRAHAM: The Ukrainian military, with our help, has killed about 50 percent of the combat power of the Russians.

Not every Senate Republican is on board, certainly, but the chamber is expected to have more than enough votes to pass the bill potentially as soon as tomorrow.

House foreign aid » Passing foreign aid funding in the House was a much tougher task for Speaker Mike Johnson who split up the package into separate bills, allowing members to vote separately on funding for Israel and Taiwan as well as Ukraine.

SOUND: On this vote, the yeas are 311 and the nays are 112. The bill is passed.

A comfortable margin on the House floor, but Republicans were split almost right down the middle. 122 GOP members voted “no” on the Ukraine bill.

Motion to vacate » And Speaker Johnson put his job on the line by bringing those bills to the floor. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has for many weeks threatened to move to oust him. She said of the aid votes that Washington—her words just betrayed the American people.

GREENE: Mike Johnson’s speakership is over. He needs to do the right thing to resign and allow us to move forward in a controlled process. If he doesn’t do so, he will be vacated.

For his part, Johnson says he can’t operate out of fear of a motion to vacate.

JOHNSON: I have to do my job. We did. I’ve done here what I believe to be the right thing, and that is to allow the House to work its will. And as I’ve said, you do the right thing and let the chips fall where they may.

Greene began openly talking about vacating the speaker after the House passed a funding bill to avert an election-year government shutdown.

Foreign aid reax–In Ukraine » Meantime, in Ukraine …

Soldier: [Speaking Ukrainian]

An artillery soldier seated in a foxhole in Ukraine says he believes with the House vote that ammunition and shells will arrive quickly at the front line. Then, he said, “We can do our job. We’ll defend ourselves from their attacks, and counter-attack.”

ZELENSKYY: [Speaking Ukrainian]

President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked leaders in Washington.

ZELENSKYY: [Speaking Ukrainian]

He added that the military also needs frontline air defenses and long-range strike capabilities to beat back Russian forces.

The Kremlin called the House approval of aid to Ukraine “expected and predictable" and warned it would result in—“further ruin.”

Israel » The legislation would also send $16 billion dollars in aid to Israel amid the war in Gaza.

Democratic Congressman Jared Moskowitz says Israel has been left with no option but to destroy Hamas.

MOSKOWITZ: This war that’s going on in Gaza right now is about the survival of the state of Israel. Right? When you have Iran launching ballistic missiles, 130 of them, towards the state of Israel. Remember, ballistic missiles could carry a nuclear payload if Iran every got nuclear weapons.

Iran has long funded and armed Hamas and other groups dedicated to Israel’s destruction.

NETANYAHU: [Speaking Hebrew]

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Israeli forces will ramp up military pressure against Hamas in the coming days in a bid to force it to release remaining Israeli hostages.

In recent months, the terror group has rejected every cease-fire proposal brought to them by mediators like the governments of Egypt and Jordan.

TikTok measure in bill » There was another measure in the legislation passed over the weekend not as widely talked about. GOP Sen. Ted Cruz:

CRUZ: Very important in this bill is the TikTok prohibition. That is major, major legislation.

The measure would bar any company from owning or operating an app or social media platform if they’re under the thumb of foreign adversaries like China.

TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is Chinese. U.S. intelligence officials have serious security concerns about the app.

The bill could force ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a nationwide ban.

Gas prices » Gas prices are up again almost a nickel per gallon from this time last week. AAA puts the new national average at $3.67.

Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg says that continues a monthslong trend.

LUNDBERG: It’s been rising for 15 weeks now. It’s up 59 cents since early January.

Seasonal costs and global conflict are large factors in that.

Drivers in Mississippi are enjoying the cheapest gas right now with a per-gallon average of $3.10.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: A January 6th Capitol protestor at the Supreme Court on this week’s Legal Docket. Plus, the Monday Moneybeat.

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