What We're Watching
Foreign aid bill passed by Senate faces uphill battle in House
Feb. 13, 2024; Washington, D.C., USA - Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Jack Gruber-USA TODAY
February 13, 2024
A $95 billion bill including aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan passed with bipartisan support in the Senate on Tuesday in a 70-29 vote.
This occurred despite strong objections from former President Donald Trump – the likely 2024 GOP presidential nominee and de facto head of the Republican Party.
Trump builds a wall against foreign aid. Trump argues that the US should only offer foreign aid in the form of a loan, and his stance on the legislation could help tank it in the GOP-controlled House.
Schumer the optimist. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday pooh-poohed the foreign aid bill because it doesn’t include provisions to boost border security – an issue that’s created a logjam in Congress for months.
But just last week, Republicans killed bipartisan legislation that lumped the issues together after Trump urged them to do so, warning it could help Democrats in the 2024 election.
Despite these obstacles, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday said he’s confident that if Johnson does “the right thing” and brings the bill to the floor, it would pass with bipartisan support. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also said he hopes Johnson doesn’t block the bill from consideration.
Up to this point, every Ukraine aid vote has received support from at least 73% of the lower chamber.
From Your Site Articles
More For You
Armoured vehicles of the El Salvador Army operate separately from the UN-authorized Gang Suppression Force (GSF), after additional troops were deployed following an October 18 ambush in which four Salvadoran GSF personnel went missing, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, November 3, 2026.
REUTERS/Patrice Noel
Over the past two weeks, President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele has sent around 2,000 troops to Haiti to rescue four Salvadoran nationals working in Haiti who were kidnapped by gangs. But the self-proclaimed “world’s coolest dictator” may have bigger ambitions.
Most Popular
Supporters react after media outlets projected Democratic US Senate candidate and Texas State Representative James Talarico's victory in the US midterm elections in Austin, Texas, US, November 3, 2026.
REUTERS/Mike Segar
In the end, the long-predicted “blue wave” turned into a tsunami as the Democrats, harnessing widespread frustrations over high living costs, opposition to the war in Iran, and misgivings about Trump’s deportation policies, swept back to power on Capitol Hill.
Last night’s wins were not only pivotal, but also broke multiple glass ceilings in American politics.
Election posters of South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) and other political parties are displayed on street poles ahead of South Africa's municipal elections on November 4, in Pretoria, South Africa, October 29, 2026.
REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
The elections are widely seen as a referendum on the African National Congress (ANC), the party that has governed South Africa since the end of apartheid, amid frustration over pervasive corruption, crumbling public services, and rising migration.
© 2025 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.