On Thursday, the Senate voted 72 to 25 to pass legislation that would fund the federal government through mid-December and send an additional $12.35 billion in aid to Ukraine.
The bill, which passed the Senate shortly before government funding was scheduled to expire at midnight on Friday, is now on its way to the House and then to President Biden for his signature.
“The tranche of aid for Ukraine comes after Congress has already approved about $54 billion in two previous packages,” The New York Times reported. “When it is enacted, the investment in Ukraine will be the highest amount of military aid the United States has committed to any country in a single year in nearly half a century, since the Vietnam War.”
“It would provide $4.5 billion for a fund dedicated to supporting the Ukrainian government, and $3 billion for weapons, equipment and other military support,” The New York Times added. “It also would provide $1.5 billion to replenish American weapons already sent to Ukraine, and $2.8 billion for the Defense Department.”
In addition to the $12.35 billion in new aid to Ukraine, the bill also authorizes a separate $3.7 billion in presidential drawdown authority to allow President Biden to send American weapons and equipment to Ukraine. Biden has used his presidential drawdown authority to provide approximately $12.5 billion in American weapons and equipment to Ukraine since August 2021.
Notably, Biden still has not used the remaining $2.1 billion in presidential drawdown authority to transfer weapons to Ukraine that Congress already approved in another aid bill passed in May, which has an expiration date of September 30.
