Ukrainian flags were waving, members of Congress were on their feet and shouts of both protest and approval filled the air. After more than six months of repeated failures, fruitless reformatting, Republican blockades and global reputation damage, the House of Representatives passed a new aid package for Ukraine on Saturday, April 20. This $60.8 billion (€57 billion) in aid is needed now more than ever, as Ukraine faces a critical shortage of ammunition and continues to endure Russian strikes without adequate defense.

With 311 votes for and 112 against, the bill passed by a margin almost as comfortable as the three others adopted on Saturday, which all concerned US foreign policy and funding. The outcome represents a relief for Ukraine's supporters, who did not want to hand victory to the Kremlin by forfeit and abandonment. However, it also speaks volumes about the months-long hostage-taking of Congress by a minority of the Republican Party, representing the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement. As one might guess, there was a broad bipartisan majority in favor of extending military support to Ukraine, but it fell victim to the chaos reigning within the ranks of the Grand Old Party. House Speaker Mike Johnson had to ignore the criticisms of this radical Republican wing to finally allow this majority to express itself.

"Today, members of both parties in the House voted to advance our national security interests and send a clear message about the power of American leadership on the world stage," Joe Biden said in a statement. The Democratic president called on the Senate to confirm the package as soon as possible – the vote is scheduled for April 23 – so that he can sign it. For his part, Biden's Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, said on the social media platform X that he was "grateful" to all those who have contributed to "keep[ing] history on the right track." "The vital U.S. aid bill passed today by the House will keep the war from expanding, save thousands and thousands of lives, and help both of our nations to become stronger," added the Ukrainian leader.

Four separate bills were passed on Saturday, representing a total of $95 billion. The first deals with national security. It contains new sanctions against Iran, the possible sale of frozen Russian assets and the threat of a ban on the TikTok app in the US if its Chinese owner does not agree to sell it. A bill on this latter issue was passed by the House on March 13, but the Senate refused to take it up, reflecting the ambivalence of both parties on the matter.

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