US House votes on aid for Ukraine and Israel

The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on separate aid packages for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and other allies, as announced by House Speaker, Republican Mike Johnson. President Joe Biden and the White House initially proposed a $95 billion aid package, which has passed the Senate but faces Republican opposition in the House over sending more funds to Ukraine. Johnson plans to introduce similar packages to the Democratic proposal in separate bills. Despite adhering to the same overall concept, it remains uncertain if Democrats will agree to the Republican modifications. The Republican proposals require Ukraine to repay part of the aid and suggest financing these packages by selling frozen Russian assets. The same bills also seek to ban the social media platform TikTok, though the connection to aid is unclear. The timing for the votes is yet to be determined, and Iran’s recent attack on Israel has heightened concerns over escalating Middle East tensions.