Senate approves $95 billion in foreign aid for Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine; what comes next?

A bipartisan victory that has been brewing for months was achieved on Tuesday night when the Senate approved a deal to provide $95 billion in foreign aid to Taiwan, Israel, and the Ukraine.

The package received 79–18 approval.

To approve the measure, thirty-one Republicans and forty-eight Democrats came together. That is nine more Republicans than voted in favor of the aid package during the Senate's February consideration of it.

Along with fifteen Republicans, two Democrats, Sens. Merkley and Welch, and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders voted against the bill.

The measure, which consists of four bills, was supported by both parties and cleared the House over the weekend. 

Now, the package is on its way to President Joe Biden's desk, who stated in a statement that he plans to sign it the next day.

"[A] bipartisan majority in the Senate joined the House to answer history’s call at this critical inflection point," Biden said in a press release. "My legislation was approved by Congress in order to bolster national security and demonstrate to the rest of the world the strength of American leadership by reaffirming our support for freedom and democracy and our opposition to oppression and tyranny.

"I will sign this bill into law and address the American people as soon as it reaches my desk tomorrow so we can begin sending weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week," he stated. "The need is critical for Israel, which recently saw unprecedented attacks from Iran; for Ukraine, which is under constant Russian bombardment; for refugees and those affected by conflicts and natural disasters worldwide, such as in Gaza, Sudan, and Haiti; and for our partners who are looking for security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. I'd like to We are grateful to Senate leaders Schumer and McConnell as well as the other senators from both parties who supported this bill. Our country and the world will be safer thanks to this important law as we stand by our allies who are protecting themselves against despots like Putin and terrorists like Hamas."

About $26 billion of the package goes to Israel, which is at conflict with Hamas in Gaza, $61 billion goes to Ukraine, and $8 billion goes to allies in the Indo-Pacific region. A fourth bill would take Russian assets to aid Ukraine in recovering from the harm caused by the war, impose sanctions on China, Russia, and Iran, and require the United States to ban TikTok if its Chinese parent firm does not sell it.