Biden signs $40 billion aid package for Ukraine while in Seoul
The Senate passed it after Biden left Washington.
The legislation provides money for military and humanitarian aid, including funding to assist the Ukrainian military and national security forces, help replenish warehouses with US equipment shipped to Ukraine, and provide public health and medical support for Ukrainian refugees.
A spokesperson for the National Security Council told CNN that the law had been handed over to South Korea with someone already traveling to the area on official business.
“The president plans to sign the law because it’s on the way so he can sign it quickly,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters traveling with the president Thursday. “The modalities for that are now being worked out so he can get it and sign it. We’re not going to. In particular, there is a gap.
The bill includes an increase in funding for the presidential withdrawal authority from the $5 billion originally requested by the Biden administration to $11 billion. Funding from the Presidential Reduction Commission allows the government to send military equipment and weapons from US stockpiles to Ukraine.
The bill also provides $6 billion in funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, another way the Biden administration is providing military aid to Ukraine. Funding allows the government to purchase weapons from contractors and then deliver those weapons to Ukraine, preventing them from being withdrawn directly from US stockpiles.
According to a fact sheet published by members of the Democratic House of Representatives, the money will help Ukraine’s military and national security forces and will go to weapons, equipment, training, logistical and intelligence support, among other needs.
There will also be nearly $9 billion to help replenish U.S. equipment sent to Ukraine, which comes as many lawmakers have expressed concerns about the replacement of U.S. arms stockpiles giving Ukraine, particularly Sting- and Javelin missiles.
The bill provides $3.9 billion for European Command operations, including “mission support, intelligence support, setbacks for forces deployed in the region, and equipment, including the Patriot battery,” according to a House Democrat fact sheet. The Department of Defense has added additional US forces in Eastern European countries since the start of the Russian invasion to support NATO allies near Ukraine.
To meet humanitarian needs, the bill will include $900 million in refugee relief support, including housing, trauma support, and English-language education for Ukrainians fleeing the country.
This measure provides for an additional $54 million for public health and medical support for Ukrainian refugees.
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