Eight members of the House of Representatives of the US Congress from the Republican and Democratic parties presented an alternative bill on providing financial assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. It provides for the allocation of $66.3 billion in aid for defense alone.
Politico writes about it.
Out of $66.3 billion, it is proposed to allocate $47.7 billion for Ukraineʼs needs, including $13.8 billion for the Security Assistance Initiative. As part of this program, the Pentagon plans to sign contracts with American defense companies to provide Ukraine with new weapons and equipment. Another $13.4 billion is proposed to be allocated to replace the weapons that the USA provided to Ukraine from American military warehouses.
It is proposed to allocate $10.4 billion for Israel. Another $4.9 billion to support deterrence operations in the Indo-Pacific region, i.e. Taiwan, and another $2.44 billion to support US Central Command operations.
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives, Michael McCaul, criticized this bill. In his opinion, the law should contain humanitarian aid, and this draft law significantly limits it.
The authors of the bill were Republicans Brian Fitzpatrick, Don Bacon, Mike Lawler, Lori Chavez-Deremer and Doug Lamborn, and Democrats Jared Golden, Ed Case, Marie Glusenkamp Perez, Don Davis and Jim Costa.
What about American aid to Ukraine
US military aid to Ukraine was exhausted at the end of 2023. Last year in October , Joe Biden submitted a request to Congress for the allocation of $106 billion, of which more than $61 billion is intended for Ukraine, mostly for the purchase of weapons from the United States. The rest of the funds from the package were intended for Israel, aid to the Asia-Pacific region, humanitarian activities in the Gaza Strip, etc.
However, the request was not approved due to political disputes. Then representatives of Congress and the White House began to work on the text of the bill, which, in particular, would contain the demand of Republicans to strengthen the security of the US borders to stop migration from Mexico. Already on February 7, he did not get the necessary 60 votes in the Senate.
Subsequently, an alternative draft law appeared on the $95.34 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, of which $61 billion is for Ukraine. The US Senate voted for him. Both houses of the US Congress (Senate and House of Representatives) must approve the legislation before President Joe Biden can sign it. However , the US House of Representatives adjourned without voting for aid to Ukraine — they will return to consider the draft law only on February 28.