Daines, Tester back foreign aid, TikTok ban package

U.S. Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines both voted for a $95 billion foreign aid package Tuesday night that includes funds for war-torn allies Israel and Ukraine.

The package includes $60 billion for Ukraine’s efforts against Russia, $17 billion in weapons aid for Israel, $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza and $8 billion for Indo-Pacific allies, such as Taiwan. It also included legislation that would ban the social media platform TikTok if its Chinese parent company doesn’t sell its stake in the firm. 

Biden signed the package into law on Wednesday.

Tuesday evening’s Senate vote came after the House of Representatives passed four bills on Saturday, in which U.S. Republican Reps. Matt Rosendale and Ryan Zinke voted against the funding for Israel and Ukraine. The package proved contentious with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., teaming up with Democrats to pass the measures over the opposition of hard-right Republicans. 

Daines, who supported the national security supplemental spending bill considered by the Senate, said that peace is best achieved through strength, citing the Reagan and Trump administrations as examples. 

“Weakness in the face of ruthless enemies is a surefire way to start new wars that involve American troops,” he said in a statement. 

The package, Daines said, is good because it provides “critical lethal aid to Israel,” forces TikTok to “sever its ties with the Chinese Communist Party,” and imposes sanctions on Iran and Russia. 

Daines, a Republican, did critique the bill and the Biden administration for not prioritizing security along the U.S.-Mexico border. 

"My biggest frustration with this bill is that it did not force Joe Biden to address the glaring national security threat coming from our southern border,” Daines said in a statement. “Terrorists are crossing into our country every single day but, unfortunately, the Biden administration and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle refuse to support policies that would meaningfully address this threat."

Tester, a Democrat up for reelection this year, also voted in support of the package. Provisions from the three-term senator’s Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence, or FEND Off Fentanyl Act, were included in the Senate package, according to his office.

“America’s foreign adversaries like China, Russia and Iran want nothing more than to take our place as the world’s leading military and economic superpower — and today I voted with Republicans and Democrats to make sure that won’t happen,” said Tester in a statement. 

Tester boasted that the legislation would “keep Montanans safe” by cracking down on the fentanyl epidemic and bolstering U.S allies. 

“It will strengthen our security abroad by countering our adversaries and standing firm with our allies,” Tester said. 

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.