The House of Representatives of the US Congress supported the draft law, which allows the continuation of military aid to Ukraine. This is the Ukraine Security Promotion Initiative (USAI), for which $300 million is allocated per fiscal year (that is, until September 2025).
This amount is significantly less than Joe Bidenʼs proposal to provide Ukraine with $61 billion. The presidentʼs initiative is still blocked by American lawmakers. Congress has one day left to approve additional funding for Ukraine before the holidays.
In general, the adopted document foresees a record $886 billion in spending on US military needs in the 2024 fiscal year. 310 members of the lower house of Congress voted for the US defense budget, and 118 were against. The House passed the law with a two-thirds majority, reports The Hill.
The final version of the document does not include restrictions on the Pentagonʼs policy on abortion and prohibits the Pentagon from funding treatment for employees and military members who deal with gender dysphoria.
At the same time, there remained a provision on the continuation of the controversial program of surveillance of foreigners by the Federal Bureau of Investigation until the beginning of 2025.
After passing the Senate, the legislation goes to President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign it into law.