The US House has voted to provide billions in aid to Ukraine and Israel

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives will hold a vote this Saturday on a funding bill for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific, House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Wednesday (17). Despite strong opposition from the far right of his party, it paved the way for its possible approval.

The House Appropriations Committee has introduced legislation that would provide more than $95 billion in defense aid — including $60.84 billion for the conflict in Ukraine and aid to regional partners dealing with Russia's invasion, of which $23.2 billion would be used to replenish U.S. weapons, stocks and facilities. .

Efforts to pass the security package gained new urgency following Iran's unprecedented attacks on Israel over the weekend in response to an April 1 Israeli airstrike against the Iranian embassy in Damascus.

The bill related to Israel totaled US$26.38 billion. Part of that will cover the cost of US military operations in response to recent attacks. Of that total, $9.1 billion is earmarked for humanitarian needs, which is what Democrats need to support the bill.

The figure for the Indo-Pacific region totaled US$8.12 billion.

Johnson said he would give House members 72 hours from the time the bill is introduced — until noon Saturday — to consider it. He said the council will vote on its final approval Saturday night.

Democratic Party leader Joe Biden has said he supports the package. He asked the House to approve it this week and the Senate to do so soon.

“I will let him immediately send a message to the world: We stand with our friends and we will not let Iran and Russia win,” Biden said in a statement.