Senate passes foreign military aid packages

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday voted 80-19 to advance three bills that would provide billions in funding for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. President Joe Biden, in a statement last week, praised the House of Representatives for passing the bills and urged the Senate to pass the bills and get them to his desk quickly. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Tuesday urged the Senate to do exactly that.

How did Republicans respond to the bills? Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Tuesday called a vote on the bill a test that the nation must not fail. Failing to keep pace with Iran and North Korea’s supply of weapons to Russia would be detrimental to U.S. interests, he said in a statement. He added that failing to challenge Iran’s aggression against Israel could also threaten the security of Americans.

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report in The Stew about the House’s initial passing of the bills.