US House passes aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other allies

Washington, DC [US], April 21 (ANI): The House of Representatives approved a USD 95.3 billion foreign-aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and other American allies on Saturday. Lawmakers approved the package, most of which is direct military assistance, in separate votes, New York Post reported.
Final Congressional approval is expected to come later during the weekend, when the package will be sent to the Senate. US President Joe Biden has announced that he will sign it into law.
One bill provides USD 60.8 billion for Ukraine, with over 80 per cent of it for helping Kyiv amid its ongoing war with Russia, including replenishing supplies of US made weapons and ammunition. Around USD 9.5 billion of the package is in the form of a forgivable loan.
The bill was passed 311-112, with Republicans voting against it. Many Democrats celebrated the passage of the bill and waved Ukraine flags while shouting “Ukraine.” Of the 218 House Republican lawmakers, 112 voted against the bill, according to New York Post report.
US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, who supported the bill, warned that it is a “violation” of the House to wave flags on the floor.
US Representative Anna Anna Paulina Luna asked Democrats to “Put those damn flags away!” A second measure provides roughly USD 17 billion in direct military aid for Israel and more than USD 9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza and other war-torn regions.
The bill was passed 366-58 with dissenting members including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other “Squad” members and Representative Bob Good Freedom Caucus members, New York Post reported.
The third bill passed, 385-34, provides USD 8.1 billion for the Indo-Pacific region to help deter China, about half of which has been kept aside for Taiwan.
A fourth bill includes many of the priorities of Republican lawmakers that receive support of Democrats, including a ban on TikTok if the China-based owner does not give up ownership of the app and enabling the US to seize about USD 5 billion in frozen Russian central bank assets to rebuild Ukraine. The lawmakers passed the bill 360-58.
US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul urged US House lawmakers to back the foreign-aid package, saying “evil is on the march.”
Before the vote, he said, “History is calling and now is the time to act.” He added, “Our adversaries are working together to undermine our Western values and demean our democracy.”
The lawmakers approval of the package came a day after a bipartisan coalition led by US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson voted 316-94 to clear a key procedural measure so it could be considered on the floor.
Most of the Republican lawmakers in the House supported Mike Johnson‘s plans, despite threats by Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and other far-right lawmakers to oust him as speaker if he went ahead with the Ukraine aid bill instead of prioritising US border security as record-breaking numbers of migrants illegally enter the US and impact public funds.
The three amendments to the Ukraine bill, including one by Marjorie Taylor Greene reducing “every dollar amount in the bill to zero”, were all rejected on Saturday, New York Post reported.
A new border bill, introduced by Representative Juan Ciscomani, would have raised penalties for gun and drug-related offences committed in matters related to illegal immigration. However, it failed to clear the two-thirds supermajority that is required to pass the bill.
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had placed pressure on Johnson to support a USD 95 billion bill approved by the Senate in February. That legislation provides all funding in a single bill. House Republicans have made several additions in the package, which are expected to be get Senate approval. (ANI)

US House passes bill that could lead to ban on TikTok

Washington, DC [US], April 21 (ANI): The US House of Representatives on Saturday approved a bill that could ban social media app TikTok, CNN reported.
The bill passed 360-58 marks the latest defeat for TikTok in the US, as the social media company with 170 million users in the US fights for survival under its current ownership by ByteDance, its Chinese parent company.
The passage of the bill in the US House comes as part of a foreign aid package for Israel and Ukraine. The move resembles an earlier version approved in March this year that would ban TikTok from US app stores unless it finds a new owner, and quickly, according to CNN report.
By attaching the TikTok bill to funding for Israeli missile defence and Ukrainian military equipment, Republican lawmakers in the US placed pressure on Senate lawmakers to consider the whole package in a single up-or-down vote.
Policy analysts expect the US Senate to take up the aid package quickly, increasing its chances of passing. US President Joe Biden has previously announced that he would sign the TikTok legislation if it reached his desk.
The passage of the TikTok bill showcases how policy priorities outside the company’s control have merged to create a potentially devastating outcome for an app that is liked by many young Americans. However, US officials have warned that it is a national security risk.
The version of the bill approved Saturday would, if signed, give TikTok 270 days to find a new owner, which is more than roughly six months contemplated under older versions of the legislation. The bill also gives the White House the ability to extend that deadline for another 90 days if the US President believes there is progress towards a sale, CNN reported.
TikTok has expressed its opposition to the bill. For weeks, TikTok carried out a lobbying campaign to defeat the legislation, stressing that it violates its users’ First Amendment rights and threatens small businesses.
In a post on X, TikTok on Wednesday wrote, “It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes USD 24 billion to the US economy, annually.”
TikTok has indicated it could file a lawsuit to block the House’s legislation, telling users in March that it plans to continue fighting, “including (by) exercising our legal rights,” according to CNN report. A court challenge over the law would result in a high-stakes battle over the right of people in the US to access digital information. (ANI)