A $40 billion Ukraine aid package passed the Senate on Tuesday with relative ease despite opposition from 11 Republicans.
The package that passed 86-11 will give Ukraine another round of military and humanitarian assistance as the war with Russia drags on.
Despite support from Democratic and GOP leadership, 11 Republicans broke from their party and voted against the aid.
The conservative effort to stop the bill first began last week when the House sent the legislation to the Senate, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) objected to the measure. Paul delayed the passage of the bill by a week because he wanted language in the legislation that would have created an inspector general role to oversee Ukraine’s funds.
By the time the final vote came, 10 other Republicans joined Paul in opposing the measure.
“If Congress really believed giving Ukraine $40B was in our national interest, they could easily pay for it by taxing every income taxpayer $500,” Paul tweeted Tuesday. “My guess is they choose to borrow the $ bc Americans might just decide they need the $500 more to pay for gas.”
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.) tweeted Monday he was against the bill because it did not serve “American interests.”
“It neglects priorities at home (the border), allows Europe to freeload, short changes critical interests abroad and comes w/ no meaningful oversight,” Hawley said.
Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) emphasized in his statement that although he supports Ukraine’s efforts against Russia, he can’t support a spending bill this large with issues including “inflation” and “gas prices” in the U.S.
“I can’t support $40 billion of new spending unless it’s offset with cuts or taken from already authorized funds, especially when the European Union isn’t matching what we’re doing to end this conflict in their own backyard,” Braun said.
Eight other GOP senators voted against the package: Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), John Boozman (Ark.), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Bill Hagerty (Tenn.), Mike Lee (Utah), Cynthia Lummis (Wyo.), Roger Marshall (Kan.) and Tommy Tuberville (Ala.).
The senators’ objections to the bill align with those of the 57 House Republican members who voted against it on May 10, as well former President Trump, who denounced the price tag of the bill.
However, a majority of Republicans in both the House and Senate still backed the aid to Ukraine, helping the bill get to President Biden’s desk.
“The future of America’s security and core strategic interests will be shaped by the outcome of this fight. Anyone concerned about the cost of supporting a Ukrainian victory should consider the much larger cost should Ukraine lose,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said.