US House passes $95 billion Ukraine, Israel aid package

STORY: Some U.S. lawmakers cheered and waved Ukrainian flags as the House of Representatives passed a part of a $95 billion legislative package Saturday.

The measure which passed in its entirety provides security assistance to the war-torn country as well as Israel and Taiwan, over bitter objections from Republican hardliners.

The legislation now proceeds to the Democratic-majority Senate, which is passed a similar measure two months ago and expected to pass this bill next week, sending it to President Joe Biden who released a statement saying he will sign it into law.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked House Speaker Mike Johnson for the more than $60 billion of aid coming his way, saying it would protect lives and bring a just end to the war that Russian President Vladimir Putin must lose.

Johnson, a Republican agreed with that sentiment.

“Three of our primary adversaries, Russia and Iran and China, are working together and they're being aggressors around the globe."

“If we turn our backs right now, the consequences could be devastating. So this afternoon the House acted. We sent over to the Senate and it will be transmitted shortly our supplemental national security legislation. “

The vote on passage of the Ukraine funding was 311-112 with a majority of Republicans opposing it including far-right Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.

She has taken steps that threaten to remove Johnson from office over this issue.

“I do not support Mike Johnson, he's already a lame duck. If we had the vote today in our conference, he would not be Speaker today.”

While Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the measure would “further ruin” Ukraine and result in more deaths in the conflict.