"Biden issues warning against withholding Ukraine funding, citing potential reinforcement of Putin's agenda; challenges mount in the House"

President Joe Biden on Tuesday urgently called for House Republicans to bring a USD 95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan to a vote, warning that refusal to take up the bill, passed overnight in the morning by the Senate, would be ''playing into Putin's hands''.

''Supporting this bill is standing up to Putin,'' Biden said, raising his voice in strong comments from the White House.

But the package faces a deeply uncertain future in the House, where hardline Republicans aligned with former President Donald Trump -- the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination, and a critic of support for Ukraine -- oppose the legislation. Speaker Mike Johnson has cast new doubt on the package and made clear that it could be weeks or months before Congress sends the legislation to Biden's desk.

The months-long push to approve the USD 60 billion in Ukraine aid that is included in the package has exposed growing political divisions in the Republican Party over the role of the US abroad.

Biden also lashed at Trump, who on Saturday said during a campaign appearance that he once warned he would allow Russia to do whatever it wants to NATO member nations that are ''delinquent'' in devoting two per cent of their gross domestic product to defence.

''When America gives its word it means something,'' Biden said. ''Donald Trump looks at this as if it's a burden.'' The Senate vote came after a small group of Republicans opposed to the USD 60 billion for Ukraine held the Senate floor through the night, using the final hours of debate to argue that the US should focus on its own problems before sending more money overseas. But 22 Republicans voted with nearly all Democrats to pass the package 70-29.

''With this bill, the Senate declares that American leadership will not waver, will not falter, will not fail,'' said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who worked closely with Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on the legislation.

The bill's passage through the Senate with a flourish of GOP support was a welcome sign for Ukraine amid critical shortages on the battlefield.

''Ukrainian soldiers out of artillery shells, Ukrainian units rationing rounds of ammunition to defend themselves, Ukrainian families worried that the next Russian strike will permanently plunge them into darkness, or worse,'' Biden said.

The president appealed directly to House members with stark terms and called on Johnson to let the matter come to a vote.

''You got to decide,'' Biden said. ''Are you going to stand up for freedom? Or are you going to side with terror and tyranny? Are you going to stand with Ukrainian or are you going to stand with Putin?'' Ukraine supporters were hoping that the showing of bipartisan support in the Senate would pressure Johnson to advance the bill. McConnell has made Ukraine his top priority in recent months, and was resolute in the face of considerable pushback from his own GOP conference.

Speaking directly to his detractors, the longtime Republican leader said in a statement, ''History settles every account. And today, on the value of American leadership and strength, history will record that the Senate did not blink.'' Dollars provided by the legislation would purchase US-made defence equipment. It also includes USD 8 billion for the government in Kyiv and other assistance.

''For us in Ukraine, continued US assistance helps to save human lives from Russian terror,'' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on social media. ''It means that life will continue in our cities and will triumph over war.'' In addition, the legislation would provide USD 14 billion for Israel's war with Hamas, USD 8 billion for Taiwan and partners in the Indo-Pacific to counter China, and USD 9.1 billion in humanitarian assistance for Gaza and the West Bank, Ukraine, and other populations caught in conflict zones across the globe.

Progressive lawmakers have objected to sending offensive weaponry to Israel, and Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent of Vermont, as well as two Democrats, Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Senator Peter Welch of Vermont, voted against it.

The bill's passage followed almost five months of torturous negotiations over an expansive bill that would have paired the foreign aid with an overhaul of border and asylum policies. Republicans demanded the trade-off, saying the surge of migration into the US had to be addressed alongside the security of allies. But a bipartisan deal on border security fell apart just days after its unveiling, a head-spinning development that left negotiators deeply frustrated. Republicans declared the bill insufficient and blocked it on the Senate floor. Supporters of the aid warned that bowing to Russia would be a historic mistake with devastating consequences. They pointed out that if Putin were to attack a NATO member in Europe, the US would be bound by treaty to become directly involved in the conflict -- a commitment that Trump has called into question as he seeks another term in the White House.

In the House, many Republicans have opposed the aid and are unlikely to cross Trump, but some key GOP lawmakers have signalled they will push to get it passed.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)