Golden votes to aid allies against common enemies and secure America’s border

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) today voted in favor of a package of bills to provide aid and arms to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan and in support of legislation designed to address the crisis at the border. 

“The defense of Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan is the defense of America,” Golden said. “Putin’s Russia, Iran-backed terrorists and Chinese communist autocrats are testing the boundaries of democracy and violating the sovereignty of our democratic allies in a way we haven’t seen in generations. The United States cannot stand by as foreign actors hostile to American security, democracy and prosperity gather their strength. If they are successful, the future threat will be on our own shores.”

The aid package included three bills that provided a total of $95 billion for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan and other allies in the Indo-Pacific: H.R. 8035, the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024; H.R. 8034, the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024; and H.R. 8036, the Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024. A fourth bill, H.R. 8038, the 21st Century Peace through Strength Act, contained related provisions including the REPO for Ukrainians Act, which authorizes the president to seize Russian sovereign assets to pay for humanitarian aid to Ukraine. 

All four bills were approved by bipartisan majorities of the House of Representatives and sent for consideration in the Senate. 

Golden was also one of just five Democrats in the House to support H.R. 3602, a bill that provides tools to address the border crisis. 

“National security requires border security,” Golden said. “The unprecedented crush of illegal crossings is not only overwhelming law enforcement, but also creating conditions easily seized upon by Mexican drug cartels and multinational corporations in search of exploitable, cheap labor. This Congress has spent more than a year debating how to address the crisis at our southern border. While this bill is not perfect, the unpredictability of this Congress and the looming presidential election mean it may be our last, best chance to act. America must have control over its borders and this bill would move us in the right direction.”

H.R. 3602 would: expand removal and detention policies, resume construction of border barriers, limit parole admissions and treat visa overstays as unlawful border entries, direct the State Department to negotiate multilateral agreements to allow asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while they await adjudication, and provide funding to southwestern states to reimburse them for local and state border security efforts. 

With a vote of 215-199, the bill did not meet the two-thirds threshold required for passage.

###