Home Updates Politics United States House Approved $40B Aid Bill for Ukraine

United States House Approved $40B Aid Bill for Ukraine

The US House of Representatives passed a roughly USD 40 Billion measure, on a bipartisan vote of 368/57 for the Ukrainian people

United States House Passed $40 Billion Aid Bill for Ukraine

The United States House of Representatives passed nearly $40 billion in further aid for the Ukrainian government in an effort to boost the military assistance as the Kyiv government grapples with the Russian attack. Moreover, the House approved the Ukraine spending by 368/57 votes, while all the 57 lawmakers who voted against the bill were Republicans.

After the House approval, the bill heads to the U.S. Senate, and the Senate is expected to act instantly. Joe Biden, the President of the United States, asked Congress to pass another $33 billion in aid for Ukrainians around fifteen days ago. Still, representatives decided to increase humanitarian and military assistance.

Rosa DeLauro, the Democratic Representative, said that the House-passed bill would protect democracy, strengthen U.S. national security, limit Russian aggression, and, most importantly, support Ukrainians. She also urged support for the spending package. The United States president called on Congress to go ahead quickly so he could sign the bill into law before the current aid for Ukraine runs out later this month.

On the other hand, some GOP leaders opposed the bill and slammed Democratic leaders for moving instantly to send several United States taxpayers abroad. Fellow Democrats of the president narrowly control Congress, but the bill will need GOP votes to get through the Senate. Moreover, the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, pledged aid to both Democratic and Republican senators at their weekly party launches on Tuesday.

Billions of Dollars for Weaponry Aid

The recently House-approved package includes $6 billion for military assistance, including weapons, equipment, training, and support. Moreover, $3.9 billion is assigned for European Command operations and $8.7 billion to restock stocks of United States equipment sent to Ukraine. Additionally, the bill allows another $11 billion for the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the president to approve the transfer of services and articles from United States stocks without approval from Congress in response to an emergency.

United States House Approved $40B Aid Bill for Ukraine
United States House Approved $40B Aid Bill for Ukraine
Source: Web

Furthermore, the legislation approves $4 billion in Foreign Military Financing to assist Ukraine and other nations facing the consequences of the crisis. The U.S. rushed over $3.5 billion worth of munitions to Ukraine since Russia attacked the country, including ammunition, anti-tank Javelin missiles, howitzers, anti-aircraft Stinger systems, and recently disclosed Ghost drones.

Humanitarian Aid

The recently announced package includes $5 billion in humanitarian aid to address food insecurity worldwide amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict and roughly $9 billion of economic assistance for Ukraine. However, the brutal war killed hundreds of thousands of civilians and forced millions of Ukrainians from their homes. Democrats hope to produce another Coronavirus package soon, though its fate is not clear.

Read Also: Jill Biden Visits Ukraine as the US Reveals New Sanctions