The Senate of the United States approved a crucial procedural vote to move forward with a significant foreign aid package worth $95 billion for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. This puts the legislation on course for approval in the Senate.

Its future in the House of Representatives, which is currently controlled by the Republican party, is unknown.

The Senate, with a small Democratic majority, voted 67-27 to remove the procedural hold on the bill. This greatly increases its chances of passing with a simple majority vote later this week.

Ukraine is set to receive a total of $61 billion to replenish its depleted ammunition reserves, acquire new weapons, and address other essential needs as it continues to defend itself against Russia in its third year of war. The bill also allocates $14 billion for Israel, as well as nearly $5 billion to support allies in the Indo-Pacific region, specifically Taiwan, and provide other forms of assistance.

It is uncommon for the Senate to conduct votes over the weekend, particularly when Sunday’s session overlaps with the Super Bowl, a major football championship game in the National Football League.

“I can’t remember the last time the Senate was in session on Super Bowl Sunday, but as I’ve said all week long, we’re going to keep working on this bill until the job is done,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said before the vote.

According to Schumer, the current situation involving Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine has transformed certain regions in eastern Europe into a battleground, reminiscent of the war-torn conditions of the second World War.

According to him, the Senate must confront this danger without hesitation by promptly passing this legislation – it is the only correct response.

Several conservative members of the Republican party, who are often aligned with former President Donald Trump, have expressed growing resistance towards providing additional aid to Ukraine in their ongoing battle against the Russian invasion. This has put the approval of the assistance at risk, despite the majority of Democratic lawmakers and President Joe Biden supporting it.

Republicans have generally supported more aid for Israel’s war against Hamas militants, although many U.S. lawmakers, especially progressive Democrats, have vocally condemned Israel for the extent of its counteroffensive that Palestinian health officials say has killed more than 28,000 people in Gaza after the Hamas terror attack in October killed 1,200 in Israel.

Last week, Republican members of the Senate prevented the progress of a proposal that included foreign aid as well as stricter regulations at the U.S.-Mexico border in an effort to reduce the influx of thousands of migrants entering the United States every day. President Trump disagreed with the border regulations, deeming them not stringent enough, and his party members followed suit.

The GOP senators may attempt to add strict immigration measures to the aid package, but it’s unclear if they will be able to come to an agreement with Democratic legislators. Even if the Senate passes the bill, its future in the House of Representatives is uncertain, as Republican members seem even more opposed to providing additional aid to Ukraine.

Last week, Biden expressed his outrage at the possibility of the United States Congress failing to support Ukraine, calling it close to criminal neglect.

The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, stated that Ukraine would not have the opportunity to defend their country without the assistance of the United States and European nations.

The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters provided some of the information in this story.