US House passes record-high Ukraine aid package ($60.8 billion), likely to pass Senate

[Hindsight was 2020]

It passed!

[Antonio the Sixth]

79-18. It's passed.

Will Biden sign it tonight or will he wait until tomorrow?

[Yoda]

The Naughty Nineteen are Barrasso, Blackburn, Braun, Budd, Cruz, Daines, Hagerty, Hawley, RAWN JAWNSON, Lee, Lummis, Marshall, Merkley, Lil Marco, Bernie, ERIC, the criminal, Tuberville, and Vance.

Wait...Rand Paul voted for it?

Rand Paul's out today. Yesterday he was back home in Kentucky doing constituent service stuff so maybe he just didn't bother to return to DC for this.

I'm most surprised by and disappointed in Rubio, since on paper he's very pro-Ukraine and early on he was a strong advocate of aid--but he is pretty weak-willed, and also it's possible there is something else he objects to in the package (like how Bernie and Merkley pretty clearly oppose it because of the offensive aid to Israel).

I'm not sure what he means by "legislative blackmail", but Rubio said this concerning his vote:

"Rubio says the foreign aid bill is "legislative blackmail, and I will not vote for blackmail."

He gave a speech just now about wanting border security in there despite supporting some of the aid components to U.S. allies."

https://twitter.com/burgessev/status/1782864832754061436

Okay, well, that ship has sailed. Johnson could have passed the bill that had that in it months ago if it had actually been important to the House. Them's the breaks.

It's really astounding how poorly House Republicans played their hand, really over the course of this entire Congress. They could have extracted so many concessions that Democrats would have ultimately bitterly swallowed if it meant they got Ukraine aid. I'm still mind blown that we didn't end up having to essentially militarize the border and curtail asylum and even legal immigration. MTG and Gaetz are basically House Dems' MVP's.

[emailking]

Well we have to swallow a TikTok ban (or forced divestiture if you prefer that talking point).

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Well we have to swallow a TikTok ban (or forced divestiture if you prefer that talking point).

Democrats managed to give Netanyahu money and ban Tik Tok in the same bill and yet they'll probably wonder why younger voters aren't enthusiastic about them.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Well we have to swallow a TikTok ban (or forced divestiture if you prefer that talking point).

Democrats managed to give Netanyahu money and ban Tik Tok in the same bill and yet they'll probably wonder why younger voters aren't enthusiastic about them.

Yeah, it's a real tragedy that Chinese won't be able anymore to spy so easily on American citizens.

Boo effing hoo.

[Progressive Pessimist]

So, this looks like another loss for the Republican House. What have they accomplished as far as red meat for their base goes? That's what they're all about yet have nothing concrete to show of it.

[DaleCooper]

So, this looks like another loss for the Republican House. What have they accomplished as far as red meat for their base goes? That's what they're all about yet have nothing concrete to show of it.

For all the hand wringing online, the TikTok ban is actually extremely popular among Republicans. If they frame the foreign aid right then the evangelicals might focus on the Israel funding. Other than that I can't think of anything.

[Obama24]

It's like Biden et al are going out of their way to alienate their voter base. Let's piss off young people by voting to ban their favorite app. Let's pump money into a war that is alienating our Middle Eastern ethnic American supporters. Let's pump money into Israel when support of Israel is at an all time low among the 18-24 year old group.

Then, if these people decide to sit out in large enough numbers and Trump wins, the Democratic pundits will be scratching their heads wondering how that happened.

[Antonio the Sixth]

So everyone here whining about the TikTok divestment hurting Democrats with the youth vote (an already dubious proposition) are saying we should have sold out Ukraine to Putin for the sake of electoral convenience? Great sense of priorities here.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

It's also interesting in itself that so many people are taking it as a given that Bytedance or whatever it's called will be so doggedly resistant to selling that the ban will go through.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Oh, they're cracking down on TikTok in some way? How wonderful.

[Yelnoc]

It's also interesting in itself that so many people are taking it as a given that Bytedance or whatever it's called will be so doggedly resistant to selling that the ban will go through.

Bytedance is not able to make this decision on the basis of profit. The Chinese government will have the ultimate say, and I am skeptical they will meekly sell to an American buyer.

[emailking]

So everyone here whining about the TikTok divestment hurting Democrats with the youth vote (an already dubious proposition) are saying we should have sold out Ukraine to Putin for the sake of electoral convenience? Great sense of priorities here.

Hope I'm not included in the whining, but if I was, no I am not saying that.

[Antonio the Sixth]

So everyone here whining about the TikTok divestment hurting Democrats with the youth vote (an already dubious proposition) are saying we should have sold out Ukraine to Putin for the sake of electoral convenience? Great sense of priorities here.

Hope I'm not included in the whining, but if I was, no I am not saying that.

No, I wasn't talking about you.

[Damocles]

Okay, this is epic.