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The House swiftly approved $95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel, and other U.S. allies in a rare Saturday session as Democrats and Republicans banded together after months of political turmoil over renewed American support for repelling Russia鈥檚 invasion.

With overwhelming support, the $61 billion in aid for Ukraine passed in a matter of minutes, a strong showing as American lawmakers race to deliver a fresh round of U.S. support to the war-torn ally. Some cheered on the House floor and waved blue-and-yellow flags of Ukraine.

Aid to Israel and the other allies also won approval by healthy margins, as did a measure to clamp down on the popular platform TikTok, signs of how unique coalitions formed to push the separate bills forward. The whole package will go to the Senate, where passage in the coming days is nearly assured. President Joe Biden has promised to sign it immediately.

鈥淲e did our work here, and I think history will judge it well,鈥� said embattled Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who is risking his own job to marshal the package to passage.

Mr. Biden, in a statement, thanked Mr. Johnson, Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, and the bipartisan coalition of lawmakers 鈥渨ho voted to put our national security first.鈥�

鈥淚 urge the Senate to quickly send this package to my desk so that I can sign it into law and we can quickly send weapons and equipment to Ukraine to meet their urgent battlefield needs,鈥� the president said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine said he was 鈥済rateful鈥� to both parties in the House and 鈥減ersonally Speaker Mike Johnson for the decision that keeps history on the right track,鈥� he said on X.

鈥淭hank you, America!鈥� he said on X, formerly Twitter.

The weekend scene presented a striking display of congressional action after months of dysfunction and stalemate fueled by Republicans, who hold the majority but are deeply split over foreign aid, particularly for Ukraine as it fights Russia鈥檚 invasion. Mr. Johnson relied on Democratic support to ensure the military and humanitarian support, with the first major package for Ukraine since December 2022, won approval.

The morning opened with a somber and serious debate and unusual sense of purpose as Republican and Democratic leaders united to urge quick approval, saying that would ensure the United States supported its allies and remained a leader on the world stage. The House鈥檚 visitor galleries crowded with onlookers.

鈥淭he eyes of the world are upon us, and history will judge what we do here and now,鈥� said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee

Passage through the House cleared away the biggest hurdle to Mr. Biden鈥檚 funding request, first made in October as Ukraine鈥檚 military supplies began to run low.

The GOP-controlled House struggled for months over what to do, first demanding that any assistance for Ukraine be tied to policy changes at the U.S.-Mexico order, only to immediately reject a bipartisan Senate offer along those very lines.

Reaching an endgame has been an excruciating lift for Mr. Johnson that has tested both his resolve and his support among Republicans, with a small but growing number now openly urging his removal from the speaker鈥檚 office. Yet congressional leaders cast the votes as a turning point in history聽鈥� an urgent sacrifice as U.S. allies are beleaguered by wars and threats from continental Europe to the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific.

鈥淪ometimes when you are living history, as we are today, you don鈥檛 understand the significance of the actions of the votes that we make on this House floor, of the effect that it will have down the road,鈥� said New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. 鈥淭his is a historic moment.鈥�

Opponents, particularly the hard-right Republicans from Mr. Johnson鈥檚 majority, argued that the U.S. should focus on the home front, addressing domestic border security and the nation鈥檚 rising debt load, and they warned against spending more money, which largely flows to American defense manufacturers, to produce weaponry used overseas.

Still, Congress has seen a stream of world leaders visit in recent months, from Mr. Zelenskyy to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, all but pleading with lawmakers to approve the aid. Globally, the delay left many questioning America鈥檚 commitment to its allies.

At stake has been one of Mr. Biden鈥檚 top foreign policy priorities聽鈥� halting Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 advance in Europe. After engaging in quiet talks with Mr. Johnson, the president quickly endorsed Mr. Johnson鈥檚 plan, paving the way for Democrats to give their rare support to clear the procedural hurdles needed for a final vote.

鈥淲e have a responsibility, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans to defend democracy wherever it is at risk,鈥� Mr. Jeffries said during the debate.

While aid for Ukraine failed to win a majority of Republicans, several dozen progressive Democrats voted against the bill aiding Israel as they demanded an end to the bombardment of Gaza that has killed thousands of civilians.

At the same time, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has loomed large over the fight, weighing in from afar via social media statements and direct phone calls with lawmakers as he tilts the GOP to a more isolationist stance with his 鈥淎merica First鈥� brand of politics.

Ukraine鈥檚 defense once enjoyed robust, bipartisan support in Congress, but as the war enters its third year, a bulk of Republicans oppose further aid. Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., offered an amendment to zero out the money, but it was rejected.

The ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus has derided the legislation as the 鈥淎merica Last鈥� foreign wars package and urged lawmakers to defy Republican leadership and oppose it because the bills do not include border security measures.

Mr. Johnson鈥檚 hold on the speaker鈥檚 gavel has also grown more tenuous in recent days as three Republicans, led by Ms. Greene, supported a 鈥渕otion to vacate鈥� that can lead to a vote on removing the speaker. Egged on by far-right personalities, she is also being joined by a growing number of lawmakers including Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who is urging Johnson to voluntarily step aside, and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.

The package includes several Republican priorities that Democrats endorse, or at least are willing to accept. Those include proposals that allow the U.S. to seize frozen Russian central bank assets to rebuild Ukraine; impose sanctions on Iran, Russia, China, and criminal organizations that traffic fentanyl; and legislation to require the China-based owner of the popular video app TikTok to sell its stake within a year or face a ban in the United States.

Still, the all-out push to get the bills through Congress is a reflection not only of politics, but realities on the ground in Ukraine. Top lawmakers on national security committees, who are privy to classified briefings, have grown gravely concerned about the situation in recent as Russia pummels Ukrainian forces beset by a shortage of troops and ammunition.

This story was reported by The Associated Press.