WASHINGTON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Friday came close to passing a bill that includes 953 to Ukraine, Israel and TaiwanThe $400 million aid bill, but the path to law remains uncertain due to Republican opposition in both chambers and chambers.
The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 64 to 19 and is likely to continue into a series of preliminary votes next week to move the bill forward unless party leaders can reach an agreement with rank-and-file lawmakers to move the bill forward quickly. Lawmakers are expected to take the next step in the process at a rare Sunday meeting.
In Friday's vote, the bill passed the simple majority threshold, with 14 Republicans supporting the measure.
Many Republicans want a deal with Senate Majority Leader, Democrat Chuck Schumer, to allow legislation to be changed in exchange for faster action.
But other Republicans, who have rejected $61 billion in Ukraine aid in the bill, have vowed to delay consideration for as long as possible by forcing the Senate to abide by intricate and time-consuming parliamentary rules.
Republicans insisted that Ukrainian aid must be accompanied by provisions to secure the U.S.-Mexico border, but the party's candidate, former Donald Trump, publicly opposed the bipartisan border agreement.
Some of these lawmakers now want to propose their own amendments to stop the flow of immigrants into the United States, while others want to ditch the humanitarian aid clause and limit foreign aid to ** and goods.
If the bill does pass the Senate, it will face an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where Speaker Mike Johnson has said he can split aid into separate bills.
We'll see what the Senate does," Johnson told reporters this week. "I've made it clear that you have to address these issues on their own merits. ”
Johnson's remarks came a day after the House of Representatives rejected an independence aid bill against Israel.