US Congress Approves $14 Billion Budget for Ukraine

The Congress of United States approved a new federal budget for 2022 on Thursday with nearly $14 billion in aid for Ukrainewhich includes an economic and humanitarian component, but also weapons and ammunition.

The text was voted by the senators of both parties at night. The House of Representatives had approved this aid the day before and now it must be signed by President Joe Biden.

“We keep our promise to support Ukraine as it fights for its life against the evil (Russian President) Vladimir Putin,” said Chuck Schumer, leader of the Senate Democrats, in a statement.

“With nearly $14 billion in emergency aid, Congress will approve more than double what the administration originally requested,” he continued.

Lawmakers were facing the latest in a series of showdowns over the administration shutdown, as government funding was due to expire at midnight from Friday to Saturday, meaning thousands of workers would be sent home without pay.

As the deadline approached, senators in the upper house followed their colleagues in the House of Representatives, who had green-lighted the $1.5 billion package on Wednesday.

Government funding regularly becomes a contentious issue in the United States, as rival Democrats and Republicans avoid compromise on their differing spending priorities for the coming fiscal year.

On three previous occasions during Biden’s tenure, lawmakers have delayed passing a spending plan for the entire fiscal year in favor of extending Trump-era policies.

But this time, Russia’s war against its Western-backed neighbor gave the process new impetus and the end result was a comfortable 68-31 vote in favor of the budget.

A significant number of Senate Republicans had tried to slow the process, arguing that aid to Ukraine should be separate from the broader funding package.

Others argued that they needed more time to assess the sweeping 2,700-page funding agreement, which cuts across all facets of the federal government.

The project provides more than $780 million in defense funding – an increase of 5.6% from last year – and $730 million in non-defense funding, an increase of 6.7%.