Republicans Unveil Trio of Bills to Bolster Support for Allies Amid Global Tensions

The Republicans propose three separate documents instead of one bill passed in February by the Democrat-dominated US Senate. They published on Wednesday in the House of Representatives the drafts of three bills supporting Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific countries.

As per the summary and text presented of the projects, the main difference between the new initiative and the package voted by the Senate is the increase in the amount of military support for Israel from £11 billion to £21 billion.

The amount that the USA would allocate for supporting Ukraine remains almost unchanged - £49 billion, of which £19 billion is for replenishing shortages in the arsenal as a result of donating equipment to Ukraine, £11 billion for purchasing equipment for Ukraine, and £9 billion for maintaining US forces in the region. The project also gives the President the authority to transfer weapons worth nearly £6 billion in addition to about £3 billion still at his disposal.

The project also envisages nearly £7.6 billion in financial and economic support for the Ukrainian budget. A change compared to the Senate bill—which the new packet is intended to replace—is the obligation of the administration to conclude an agreement with Ukraine regarding the repayment of the economic portion of this aid. However, the president will have the option to forgive the debt. The project also stipulates that American aid cannot constitute more than 50 percent of the aid designated by all other supporting states, encouraging European countries to increase their contribution to this cause.

For the Israel support project, Republicans propose spending £3.2 billion on replenishing stocks of missiles for the Iron Dome and David's Sling air defence systems, £0.96 billion on the Iron Beam laser anti-missile system, £2.8 billion on purchasing "advanced weapon systems" for Israel, and £3.5 billion on replenishing the American arsenal. The project has added a prohibition on allocating funds to the UN's relief agency in Palestine, UNRWA. However, it simultaneously envisages allocating £7.2 billion for humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, as demanded by Democrats.

The third project talks about allocating £1.6 billion in loans for Taiwan and other allies in the Indo-Pacific area to purchase American weapons, £1.5 billion for replacing weapons given to Taiwan, £2.6 billion in investments in the development of submarine construction, £433 million for enhancing US military capabilities in the region, and £106 million for increasing artillery and ammunition production.

"The time is now to act"

"I know this to be true: if we don't help our friends in time of need, soon enough, we won't have any friends at all. The time is now to act" - wrote House Budget Committee Chairman Tom Cole in a statement, calling for a swift adoption of the bills and sending them to the Senate. The adoption of the laws was also supported by the highest-ranking Democratic congresswoman in the committee, Rosa DeLauro.

"After House Republicans dragged their feet for months, we finally have a path forward to provide support for our allies," DeLauro announced.

The announcement by Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson indicates that the voting would be conducted on Saturday evening, Greenwich Time. Another bill is set to be published on Wednesday, including, among others, provisions allowing for the confiscation of frozen Russian assets. The plan considers separate voting for each bill and sending them to the Senate in one package. A separate proposal will also be submitted for radical reforms at the southern border of the USA, despite demands from the right wing of the party to link this with aid for Ukraine.

The limited number of changes gives hope for breaking the deadlock on aid for Ukraine, which has lasted almost half a year. However, the situation may be complicated by the potential process of introducing any amendments.

A democratic representative in the House said they are still analyzing the text, but at first glance, it seems acceptable. The support of Democrats, who are in the minority in the House, is necessary to pass the bills. Party leaders had previously suggested that if the law's text does not significantly deviate from the Senate project, they are ready to assist Republicans.

However, congressmen from the far-right wing of the Republicans, opposed to aiding Ukraine, reacted negatively.

"There is no other way to describe it: it is surrender. It is disappointing. I won’t support it," Congressman Matt Gaetz stated on CNN. His colleague Eli Crane, on the other hand, stated that the package is "completely detached from what our base wants, what our voters want." Earlier, two other party representatives, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie, announced they would file a motion to remove Speaker Johnson from office. However, Democrats suggested they might save the rival party leader if he leads to the passage of aid for Ukraine.