Senate passes Ukraine, Israel aid bill after months-long debate

The Senate overwhelmingly passed a $95 billion foreign aid bill on Tuesday, delivering billions of dollars in weapons and support to key U.S. allies Ukraine and Israel despite some opposition from both parties’ bases. The legislation, which passed by a 79-18 vote, had seemed all but dead for several months due to opposition in the GOP-led House.

President Biden said in a statement he would sign the bill into law as soon as it crosses his desk on Wednesday, and send aid to Ukraine this week. The funds help him deliver on his promise to the nation’s NATO allies to continue to aid Ukraine as it enters its third year fending off Russia’s invasion.

Passage of the legislation marks the first significant new tranche of aid passed by the U.S. Congress to the beleaguered nation in more than a year, as some Republicans aligned more with former president Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy waged a fierce battle against it. They ultimately lost out when Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) decided to put the $61 billion in Ukraine aid on the floor last Saturday, citing his belief that Russia posed a serious threat.

“Today the Senate sends a unified message to the entire world,” Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the floor on Tuesday. “America will always defend democracy in its hour of need.”

Nine Republican senators flipped their votes to support the legislation on Tuesday after voting against an earlier version of the aid in February.

The legislation also sends $26 billion in funds for Israel and humanitarian aid for Gaza and other places, at a time when some congressional Democrats are calling for further aid to Israel to come with conditions.

Just three senators who caucus with Democrats opposed the aid package as progressives continue to decry the mounting civilian casualties in Gaza. University protests are growing and becoming more volatile, and the State Department released a report saying the human rights situation has significantly deteriorated in the region because of the conflict.

“Israel does not have the right to go to war against the entire Palestinian people, which is exactly what it is doing,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt). said on the Senate floor ahead of the vote. Sanders, along with Democratic Sens. Jeff Merkley (Ore.) and Peter Welch (Vt.), voted against the bill.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The article discusses the passage of a foreign aid bill that includes support for Ukraine and Israel. This relates to SDG 16, which aims to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels. It also relates to SDG 17, which focuses on strengthening the means of implementation and revitalizing global partnerships for sustainable development.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere
• SDG 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all
• SDG 17.1: Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection
• SDG 17.9: Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals

Based on the article’s content, the specific targets under SDGs 16 and 17 that can be identified are reducing violence and death rates (SDG 16.1), promoting the rule of law and equal access to justice (SDG 16.3), strengthening domestic resource mobilization (SDG 17.1), and enhancing international support for capacity-building (SDG 17.9).

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 16.1.1: Number of victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population, by sex and age
• Indicator 16.3.1: Proportion of victims of violence in the previous 12 months who reported their victimization to competent authorities or other officially recognized conflict resolution mechanisms
• Indicator 17.1.1: Total government revenue as a proportion of GDP, by source
• Indicator 17.9.1: Dollar value of financial and technical assistance (including through North-South, South-South, and triangular cooperation) committed to developing countries

The article does not explicitly mention these indicators, but they can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. These indicators include the number of victims of intentional homicide (Indicator 16.1.1), the proportion of victims of violence who report their victimization (Indicator 16.3.1), total government revenue as a proportion of GDP (Indicator 17.1.1), and the dollar value of financial and technical assistance committed to developing countries (Indicator 17.9.1).

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: washingtonpost.com

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