The House has emphatically approved a fresh $40 billion Ukraine aid package that beefs up President Joe Biden's initial request.
The measure signals a magnified U.S. commitment to thwart Russian President Vladimir Putin's bloody three-month-old invasion. The bill won wide bipartisan support. It contains $7 billion more than Biden's plan from last month, evenly divided between defense and humanitarian programs.
The bill would give Ukraine military and economic assistance, help regional allies, replenish weapons the Pentagon has shipped overseas and provide $5 billion to address global food shortages caused by the war's crippling of Ukraine's normally robust crop production.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., chair of the House Appropriations Committee said, “The Ukrainian people, they need us, they are in desperate need of our support.” DeLauro said, “Vladimir Putin and his cronies must be held responsible. This bill does that by protecting democracy, limiting Russian aggression and strengthening our own national security.”
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki released a statement on Tuesday night which can be read in full below:
"The House took a critical step today in sending a clear, bipartisan message to Ukraine, to Russia, and to the world that the United States stands with the people of Ukraine as they defend their democracy against Russian aggression. We thank House leadership and members of the Appropriations committee for working across the aisle to get this done, and appreciate the strong bipartisan support for the President’s proposal to provide much needed security, economic, humanitarian, and food assistance to Ukraine, across the region, and around the world.
Our assistance to date, together with the contributions of our Allies and partners, has been critical in helping Ukrainians win the battle for Kyiv and defend their freedoms. The additional resources included in this bill will allow us to send more weapons, such as artillery, armored vehicles, and ammunition, to Ukraine. And they will help us replenish our stockpile and support U.S. troops on NATO territory.
As the President said yesterday, we cannot afford any delay in this vital effort. We look forward to continuing to work with Senate leadership to get this bill to the President’s desk quickly and keep assistance flowing to Ukraine without interruption."
