Senate Invokes Cloture On USD$95B National Security Supplemental

The Senate has cleared a key procedural hurdle on the USD$95 billion supplemental funding bill which will authorise tens of billion of dollars in new aid for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific, and other US allies.

• It is unclear what amendment process was approved by Senate Majority Leader (D-NY) ahead of the vote, but if normal procedure is followed - which requires unanimous consent for amendments after cloture -the bill will likely be handed to the House in its current form, if the Senate passes the bill in a final vote.
• Due to the highly contentious nature of the bill, expect conservative Republicans Senators to block quick passage of the bill. But whatever happens over the next few days, the vote caps a disastrous week for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). His decision to oppose the bill, at the behest of former President Donald Trump, appears to have prompted Schumer and pro-Ukraine Republicans to strip the bipartisan border package from the bill and press on with a package that tracks very closely with the USD$106 billion supplemental request President Biden submitted to Congress in September.
• There are no Republican wins in the final package and Johnson must now formulate a strategy for confronting legislating which is deeply unpopular with Trump and his own conservative faction, but likely supported by a bipartisan majority of lawmakers in his chamber.