Booker Statement on Senate Passage of $95 Billion Foreign Aid Package

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement:

"In passing this national security and foreign aid package by wide, bipartisan majorities, Congress is sending a clear message: the United States stands with its allies and will rise to address humanitarian needs that are causing enormous human suffering in the world.

"Supporting the defense of other democracies under urgent threat and working to prevent humanitarian catastrophe is unquestionably in our national security interests and will save many lives, and that's why I supported this legislation despite its shortcomings. This aid package is long-overdue, and a fringe minority in the House shouldn't have been allowed to hold it up for months on end.

"The people of Ukraine are fighting to defend their freedom in the face of Vladimir Putin's ongoing, illegal war. Our allies in Israel and Taiwan are facing new threats from Iran and China that demand our continued support. And the close to $10 billion in humanitarian aid I fought hard to include in this bill will help people suffering due to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as those affected by conflicts that aren't drawing as much attention and are contributing to an unprecedented global hunger crisis, such as the year-long war in Sudan that has resulted in nearly 9 million people fleeing their homes.

"I'm frustrated this package includes riders that should have moved through Congress on their own, like a provision to force a sale of TikTok. I would have voted against this provision if I had the opportunity, not because I don't have concerns about Tiktok or its ownership structure-I do-but because I worry that Congress is missing an opportunity to address larger issues with social media in general, from screen addiction, to its negative effects on mental health, to the alarming impact it can have on the well-being of American children, to privacy, to the stunning proliferation of hate speech online, to its use for bullying and intimidation, to its toxic spread of misinformation, and many more. Congress should take on these broader challenges in a separate bill and have a full debate on them, and I worry the urgency to address them will be lost by this piecemeal approach."