Biden signs $40B Ukraine aid package into law

President Biden has signed into law a far-reaching aid package for Ukraine that will provide $40 billion in security, humanitarian and economic assistance for the country as it battles the Russian war over the coming months.

The White House said in a release on Saturday that Biden signed the measure while abroad in Asia. The Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass it on Thursday.

The package brings the total U. S. assistance Congress has approved for Ukraine this year to nearly $54 billion to help the country battle a Russian onslaught that began on Feb. 24.

The president had asked Congress at the end of April to authorize an additional $33 billion for Ukraine as he exhausted the drawdown authority from the last bill passed in March. The figure lawmakers ultimately landed on was higher.

While the White House initially hoped lawmakers would link the package to billions more in COVID-19 pandemic funding, Biden ultimately asked leaders to separate the two to allow the Ukraine aid to move as quickly as possible.

The bill passed the House in a 368-57 vote earlier this month and cleared the Senate in an 86-11 vote on Thursday. All “no” votes in the House and Senate came from Republicans.

Still, the support for Ukraine in Congress has been a rare inst... (Read more)

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