On the eve of the Senate’s vote on a $95.3 billion foreign aid package, former President Donald Trump has voiced his opposition, advocating for foreign aid to be structured as loans. The package, which includes aid for Israel and Ukraine, is set to be voted on Sunday.
Trump expressed his views on his social media platform, Truth Social, stating, “We should never give money anymore without the hope of a payback, or without strings attached. The United States of America should be stupid no longer!”
This comes after Trump’s vehement criticism of a $118 billion bipartisan border deal and foreign aid package, which Senate Republicans blocked on Wednesday. The legislation, partly crafted by Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma, would have enacted restrictive border measures.
Trump’s recent comments suggest a similar fate for the new foreign aid package. He celebrated the failure of the previous deal at a rally in Conway, South Carolina, stating, “This week we also had another massive victory that every conservative should celebrate: we crushed Crooked Joe Biden’s disastrous open borders bill. Crushed it.”
The rejected deal would have provided aid to key US allies, including billions of dollars to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia and security assistance for Israel, as well as humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Ukraine.
Democrats have criticized Republicans for their opposition to the border deal, accusing them of being untrustworthy negotiating partners and succumbing to Trump’s pressure to keep the border issue in the political spotlight.
The $95.3 billion foreign aid package is currently under consideration in the Senate, having been advanced on Thursday with a vote of 67 to 32. However, it may face further obstacles, including opposition from Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has a history of opposing foreign aid.
Without unanimous agreement from all senators to expedite the process, the Senate is expected to work through the weekend, with a final vote anticipated next week. “I think we should stay here as long as it takes,” Paul told CNN’s Manu Raju. “If it takes a week or a month, I’ll force them to stay here to discuss why they think the border of Ukraine is more important than the US border.”
If the bill passes the Senate, it will move to the House, where it is uncertain when or if Speaker Mike Johnson will hold a vote. Many House Republicans are opposed to further aid to Ukraine.
The new foreign aid package includes billions of dollars to support Ukraine and for security assistance for Israel, as well as humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Ukraine. According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, the bill includes $60 billion for Ukraine, $14.1 billion for Israel, $9.2 billion in humanitarian assistance, and $4.8 billion to support regional partners in the Indo-Pacific region, among other provisions.