Policy Backgrounders

National Security Supplemental

February 16, 2024

Trusted Insights for What’s Ahead™:

This week, the Senate passed a national security supplemental to provide military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and other US partners in the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific region. After strong opposition emerged to negotiated bipartisan legislation on immigration and border security that could have been added to the bill, the Senate decided to proceed on a revised supplemental without any border policy or funding provisions. The national security supplemental faces an uncertain prospect in the House of Representatives given recent statements by House leadership and the competing legislative priority of avoiding a government shutdown on March 1 and March 8.

• The national security supplemental contains over $95 billion in foreign aid and humanitarian assistance, including $60 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel, and almost $5 billion for Taiwan and other US partners in the Indo-Pacific region as well as humanitarian aid to address the crisis in Gaza.
• House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) opposes the current supplemental because it lacks strict border security measures for which House Republicans have been advocating. Johnson had also said he would oppose a bill with the Senate’s border policy provisions.
• Representatives in the House have other legislative options to advance components of the international assistance package amid complicated negotiations on the annual Federal budget and the upcoming impeachment trial of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.