TikTok ban one step closer to reality as Senate sends $95 BILLION Ukraine, Israel aid package to President Biden's desk to sign

The Senate passed a $95 billion foreign aid bill late Tuesday, now sending the legislation to the president's desk. 

The package that passed 79-18 ties together $60 billion for Ukraine, $26 billion for Israel and Gaza and around $4 billion for the Indo-Pacific - and a measure that could see TikTok banned in the U.S. 

'Getting this done is one of the greatest achievements of the Senate in years, perhaps decades,' Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said hours ahead of the bill's final passage. 

But the 170 million U.S. fans of TikTok are watching with acute concern as the legislation could lead to the outlaw of their favorite video-sharing platform. 

A fourth component of the legislation includes several measures such as requiring TikTok divest from its Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance, an effort to obtain seized Russian assets and a lend-lease program for military aid to Ukraine.

The House already passed a bill to force ByteDance to divest from TikTok, but the new catch-all legislation would give TikTok one year rather than six months to separate itself from China - or else be banned in the U.S.

But fans of TikTok are watching with acute concern as the legislation could lead to the outlaw of their favorite video-sharing platform

Package gives billions to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, and could potentially ban TikTok

TikTok has suggested the legislation amounts to a 'total ban in the United States,' hinting that ByteDance isn't interested in selling.  

'It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the U.S. economy, annually,' a TikTok spokesperson told DailyMail.com Saturday. 

Attaching the measure to the foreign aid forced the Senate to vote on it after Schumer dragged his feet at putting it on the floor. 

The so-called 'side car' bill also includes a provision involving the REPO Act, meaning it would seize Russian assets that until now have only been frozen and repurpose them for Ukraine, and one that would involve the Lend-Lease Act, which would require Ukraine to give back U.S. military assets that are not destroyed in war. 

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., meanwhile raised concerns about a provision in the package that would force Chinese-owned ByteDance to divest TikTok or face a U.S. ban. 

'The censors who abound in Congress will likely vote to ban TikTok or force a change in ownership,' he wrote in an op-ed for Reason this week. 'It would violate the First Amendment rights of over 100 million Americans who use TikTok to express themselves.'

The bill passed the House on Saturday in four separate votes before being packaged together for the Senate. Speaker Mike Johnson risked his career to get Ukraine aid to the Senate - three Republicans have now signed onto a motion to oust him over the Ukraine aid. 

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, who is trying to steer the Republican Party away from its isolationist trend, celebrated the bill's passing and blamed anti-Ukraine sentiment on Tucker Carlson 'who, in my opinion, ended up where he should have been all along, which is interviewing Vladimir Putin,' he said. 

McConnell said that Carlson's 'enormous audience' convinced 'a lot of rank and file Republicans' that helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia is not important. 

President Biden praised the Senate's passing of the legislation and said he would sign it so Ukraine could get the aid 'this week.'

'I will sign this bill into law and address the American people as soon as it reaches my desk tomorrow so we can begin sending weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week.'

'The need is urgent: for Ukraine, facing unrelenting bombardment from Russia; for Israel, which just faced unprecedented attacks from Iran; for refugees and those impacted by conflicts and natural disasters around the world, including in Gaza, Sudan, and Haiti; and for our partners seeking security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.'

The Ukraine bill includes $23 billion for replenishing U.S. stockpiles that have been depleted for the fight in Russia. 

Ukrainian soldiers carry shells to fire at Russian positions on the front line - they now will get a multi-billion infusion into their efforts thanks to Congress 

Some $11 billion would go to U.S. military operations in the region and $14 billion would go to procuring advanced weapons systems. 

Another $26 million would go to oversight and accountability of equipment given to Ukraine.

Two separate economic assistance funds worth $7.85 billion and $1.58 billion would also be offered to Ukraine under a loan structure. 

'Make no mistake: delay in providing Ukraine the weapons to defend itself has strained the prospects of defeating Russian aggression. Dithering and hesitation have compounded the challenges we face,' McConnell said ahead of the vote. 

The bill includes $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza. This photo shows aid packages dropped over the northern Gaza strip on April 23 

'I will not mince words when members of my own party take the responsibilities of American leadership lightly.' 

The Israel security bill will offer $4 billion to replenish Israel's Iron Dome Missile Defense system and billions more for weapons systems, artillery and munitions, as well as an additional $2.4 billion for U.S. operations in the region.

Nine billion dollars in that bill goes to humanitarian relief for Palestinians in Gaza.

Sen. Bernie Sanders sounded off after his amendment to strip out offensive aid for Israel was taken out of the bill. 

'Hamas started this war, that is true. But this stopped being about defending Israel a long time ago,' he said on the Senate floor. 

'I am very disappointed, but not surprised, that my amendment to end offensive military aid to Netanyahu’s war machine – which has killed and wounded over 100,000 Palestinians, two-thirds of whom are women and children – will not be considered.' 

Some 35,000 Palestinians have died in the war between Israel and Hamas, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, after 1,200 Israelis were killed on October 7.  

A smoke plume billows following Israeli bombardment north of Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on April 23, 2024

Johnson noted much of the bill is not going directly to any country but is going to backfill U.S. stockpiles that have been depleted for Ukraine and Israel. 

The U.S. was heavily involved in defending Israel against Iran's 300 missile strikes last week.

Intelligence officials, meanwhile, have been warning members of Congress of Ukraine's urgent need for U.S. aid. CIA Director Bill Burns warned last week that Ukraine 'could lose on the battlefield by the end of 2024.' 

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, urged voters ahead of the bill's advance: 'We Don't Have To Pass This Bill Tell Your Senators To Vote 'No!' #KillTheBill.' 

Lee has put forth an amendment to make sure the Ukrainian 'loan' provisions must be repaid (they are forgivable in the House version).

The foreign aid package has laid to bare a rift within the GOP almost as vast as the on between the two parties. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tore into Ohio Republican Sen. J.D. Vance for his anti-Ukraine aid stance over the weekend. 

Vance had written in a New York Times op-ed that Ukraine could not win the fight against Russia even with U.S. aid. 

'Ukraine's challenge is not the GOP; it's math. Ukraine needs more soldiers than it can field. And it needs more matériel than the United States can provide,'  Vance wrote.

'That is garbage,' Graham shot back on Fox News Sunday. 

'Go … I just got back, I was there two weeks ago. They changed their conscription laws. They have all the manpower they need. They need the weapons,' he continued. 'It's one thing to talk about Ukraine over here; it's another thing to go.' 

Paul also sounded off about Democrats waving 'corrupt' Ukraine flags on the House floor as they voted on the package. 

'Ukrainian flags fly in the chamber of the UNITED STATES House of Representatives as they vote to send more of your hard-earned money to a corrupt foreign regime. And just like that they shout 'UKRAINE! UKRAINE!'while happily working to secure Ukraine's borders, not ours.'