House passes aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Here's how Wisconsin's delegation voted
WASHINGTON – The House on Saturday passed a $95 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, ending a monthslong delay to act on the assistance over objections from some on Republicans' right flank.
Lawmakers approved the measures, which were voted on individually, to support the three nations with broad bipartisan support. A fourth bill that includes sanctions on Iran, provisions to seize Russian assets and Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher's legislation that could ban the video sharing app TikTok in the U.S., also passed.
The legislation is similar to an aid package the Senate passed in February, but Speaker Mike Johnson broke the assistance into individual bills to get support from different factions of his conference — allowing members to oppose certain measures without sinking the entire proposal. The strategy garnered support from Wisconsin's lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. The bills will now be combined and sent to the Senate, where it is expected to pass.
The package includes $60.8 billion in aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia; $26.3 billion to Israel as it battles Hamas, including about $9 billion in global humanitarian assistance; and just over $8 billion for Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific in an effort to deter China's threat to the region.
Its passage ends months of delays and uncertainty over whether Congress could pass the assistance as a group of Republicans in both the House and Senate have rejected the idea of providing more assistance to Ukraine. Some, including those in Wisconsin's delegation, have called for aid to Kyiv to be tied to U.S.-Mexico border provisions. Supporters of the Ukraine aid, meanwhile, have noted the country is running out of ammunition to fight back against Russia.
Johnson, the House speaker, pushed forward with the legislation as he faced threats from those on the far right of his conference to remove him from his post should he put additional assistance to Ukraine up to a vote. Those threats still loomed large Saturday afternoon.
"We can't play politics with this, we have to do the right thing," Johnson told reporters this week, referencing Ukraine funding. "I'm going to allow every single member of the House to vote their conscience and their will."
He added of aid to the country: "To put it bluntly, I would rather send bullets to Ukraine than American boys."
Wisconsin's lawmakers on Saturday were split over the measures.
Gallagher, who had planned to leave Congress on Friday, extend wshis tenure through to support the legislation Saturday. He was the only Wisconsin Republican to vote in favor of aid to Ukraine.
Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan, for example, has rejected providing more offensive capabilities to Israel as the civilian death toll in Gaza continues to grow. And Republicans like Rep. Tom Tiffany have opposed sending more assistance to Ukraine. He and Reps. Glenn Grothman and Scott Fitzgerald told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this week they wanted to see border legislation added to the package.
"$95 billion in FOREIGN aid with NOTHING to stop the FOREIGN invasion of our own country," Tiffany tweeted Friday, after opposing a procedural move to proceed to debate on the entire package. "America’s border security should come FIRST."
Here's how Wisconsin's House delegation voted Saturday (a yes vote means a lawmaker voted in favor of the legislation):
Aid to Ukraine
The more than $60 billion aid to Kyiv passed the House on an 311-112 vote.
Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R) — No
Rep Mike Gallagher (R) — Yes
Rep. Glenn Grothman (R) — No
Rep. Gwen Moore (D) — Yes
Rep. Mark Pocan (D) — Yes
Rep. Bryan Steil (R) — No
Rep. Tom Tiffany (R) — No
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R) — No
Aid to Israel
The bill to provide $26.3 billion in aid to Israel passed on an 366-58 vote.
Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R) — Yes
Rep Mike Gallagher (R) — Yes
Rep. Glenn Grothman (R) — Yes
Rep. Gwen Moore (D) — Yes
Rep. Mark Pocan (D) — No
Rep. Bryan Steil (R) — Yes
Rep. Tom Tiffany (R) — No
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R) — Yes
Aid to Taiwan, Indo-Pacific
The $8 billion package to Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific passed the House on an 385-34 vote.
Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R) — Yes
Rep Mike Gallagher (R) — Yes
Rep. Glenn Grothman (R) — Yes
Rep. Gwen Moore (D) — Yes
Rep. Mark Pocan (D) — Yes
Rep. Bryan Steil (R) — Yes
Rep. Tom Tiffany (R) — No
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R) — Yes
A fourth bill, including TikTok measure
A fourth measure that included Gallagher's proposal that would force TikTok’s Chinese parent company to sell the app or face a ban in the United States passed the House on an 360-58 vote.
Saturday's Tik Tok provision was slightly different from a version the House passed last month. This measure extended the mandatory timeline for a forced sale of the app to a little under a year after the bill's signing, up from roughly six months.
The legislation would also impose sanctions on Iran, and another provision would allow for the selling off of frozen Russian assets to help fund Ukraine's fight.
Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R) — Yes
Rep Mike Gallagher (R) — Yes
Rep. Glenn Grothman (R) — Yes
Rep. Gwen Moore (D) — No
Rep. Mark Pocan (D) — No
Rep. Bryan Steil (R) — Yes
Rep. Tom Tiffany (R) — Yes
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R) — Yes
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How Wisconsin's delegation voted on aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan