Sen. Mike Lee says he will oppose House-passed $95 billion foreign aid package, cites risk funds could reach Hamas

Senator Mike Lee said Sunday he would not vote for the House-passed version of the roughly $95 billion foreign aid package as it reaches the Senate and described the measure as favorable to foreign recipients rather than to U.S. interests.

"Under no circumstances could I...vote for the bill as passed by the House of Representatives yesterday," Lee said. He told the interviewer he expected a "handful of votes" on amendments in the Senate but said it was difficult to imagine any of those amendments passing.

Lee described how the House used a procedure to merge four separate bills into one measure before sending it to the Senate. He framed the package as a "really good deal for Ukraine and Zelensky" but added an unverified claim that it could also benefit Hamas, saying "Hamas... stands to receive up to $9,000,000,000 of this $95,000,000,000 aid package." The interview included no independent corroboration of that figure; the amount is presented here as Lee's assertion.

Lee argued the package "is not good for hardworking Americans" because he said it directs taxpayer dollars overseas while the border remains unsecured. The senator linked his vote intention to broader concerns about border enforcement and the loss of leverage he attributed to recent congressional actions.

The Senate is expected to receive or consider the House-passed text this week; Lee said he would oppose the bill in its current form.