A Republican lawmaker read a book by Dr. in the Senate. Seuss in an effort to delay the $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
Senator JD Vance, R-Ohio, read one of Dr. Suess: ‘Oh, the Places You’ll Go!’ he dedicated it to his son Vivek on his fourth birthday.
The Republican paused shortly after arguing against the foreign aid package to send his son a birthday greeting.
“Now I want to move on to another argument,” Vance said on the Senate floor Monday afternoon. ‘But before I do that, I have to think about something that is personally close to my heart. I have three beautiful children.’
“And I’m sorry, Vivek, that I can’t be with you for your birthday dinner, but I want you to know that Dad loves you very much,” he continued. “And I’m going to read this for the record, because maybe you can watch it at home.”
The father-of-three then read the entire book while lying on the floor, before sending a message to his son: “I love you.”
Senator J.D. Vance read the entire “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” from Dr. Suess for. Monday on the Senate floor as a birthday treat for his son Vivek’s fourth birthday
The foreign aid package provides $14 billion for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza
The deal also provides Ukraine with an additional $61 billion as the war with Russia continues
After sending his son a birthday wish, Vance quickly got back to work.
“Coming back to the matter at hand… how much time is left?”
Vance’s stunt is reminiscent of another one by Dr. Suess-inspired Senate floor speech from over a decade ago.
In 2013, Senator Ted Cruz infamously read “Green Eggs and Ham” on the floor during an effort to suppress Obamacare.
“When Americans tried it, they discovered they didn’t like green eggs and ham, and they didn’t like Obamacare either,” Cruz said at the time. “They didn’t like Obamacare in a box, with a fox, in a house or with a mouse. It does not work.’
Vance made multiple attempts to thwart the deal’s approval, including sending a memo announcing the deal to all his Republican colleagues on Monday morning.
He also hosted a Twitter Space that evening to bash the foreign aid package with fellow Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.
Elon Musk, venture capitalist David Sacks and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy were also involved in the conversation about the $95 billion deal.
Despite Vance’s efforts, the massive package was ultimately passed.
The bill secured the necessary 60 senators needed to send the legislation to the House of Representatives Tuesday morning, after a rare overnight session that ended in a 70-29 vote.
Supporters of the foreign aid package said it was necessary to safeguard the prosperity of U.S. allies
Vance claimed in a memo to colleagues that the bill could threaten a future Trump presidency if the former president is elected.
In total, the package includes $61 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel in its war against Hamas and $4.83 billion to support partners in the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan, to deter China’s aggression.
Last week, Republicans struck a $118 billion bipartisan deal to strengthen border security while funding Ukraine and Israel. They accused the country of not going far enough to secure the border and said it would reinforce Biden’s “open border” policy.
Getting Senate Republicans on board with the thinner $95 billion deal without immigration measures wasn’t easy as tempers flared over the tanked border deal.
But in the end, more than a dozen Republicans joined Democrats in voting for the bill, fearing it would embolden Russian President Putin.
The vote Tuesday morning had the support of 22 Republicans. However, two Democrats, Sens. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Peter Welch of Vermont, and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, voted against it.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., meanwhile, has indicated the Senate package has an uncertain future.
“With no change in border policy received from the Senate, the House will have to continue to exert its own will on these important matters,” Johnson said late Monday. “America deserves better than the Senate status quo.”