What’s inside the $95-billion House package focused on aiding Ukraine and Israel
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson has unveiled a long-awaited package of bills that would provide military aid to Ukraine and Israel, replenish U.S. weapons systems and give humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza.
The $95.3-billion package matches the total that the Senate passed in mid-February, but there are a few differences with the Senate bill designed to win over some House members on the right.
Here’s a look at what is in the bills that Johnson hopes to pass by this weekend.
Ukraine
The aid to support Ukraine totals about $61 billion. Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee said that more than a third of that amount would be dedicated to replenishing weapons and ammunition systems for the U.S. military.
The overall amount of money provided to Ukraine for the purchase of weapons from the U.S. is roughly the same in the House and Senate bills — $13.8 billion.
The main difference between the two packages is that the House bill provides more than $9 billion in economic assistance to Ukraine in the form of “forgivable loans.†The Senate bill included no such provision seeking repayment.
Could Ukraine lose the war? Once nearly taboo, the question hovers in Kyiv, but Ukrainians believe they must fight for their lives against Putin’s troops.
The president would be authorized to set the terms of the loan to Ukraine and also be given the power to cancel it. Congress could override the cancellation but would have to generate enough votes to override a veto, a high bar in the narrowly divided chambers.
Johnson (R-La.), as he seeks to overcome some Republicans’ objections, noted that former President Trump has endorsed a “loan concept.â€
He also noted that the House package includes a requirement for the Biden administration to provide a plan and a strategy to Congress for what it seeks to achieve in Ukraine. The plan would be required within 45 days of the bill being signed into law.
In a Ukrainian village, a woman wants only one thing: to find her husband, who disappeared shortly after Russia’s war on Ukraine started two years ago.
The bill said the report from the administration must be a multiyear plan that spells out “specific and achievable objectives.†It also asked for an estimate of the resources required to achieve the U.S. objectives and a description of the national security implications if the objectives are not met.
Israel
Amid the Israel-Hamas war, the aid to support Israel and provide humanitarian relief to residents of the Gaza Strip comes to more than $26 billion. The amount dedicated to replenishing Israel’s missile defense systems totals about $4 billion in the House and Senate bills. Both also include an additional $2.4 billion for current U.S. military operations in the region.
Some Republicans have been critical of including aid for Gaza, but Johnson risked losing critical Democratic support for the package if it was not included. The humanitarian aid comes to more than $9 billion. Many in the Palestinian territory, home to 2.3 million people, face starvation, lack of clean water and disease outbreaks.
With family trapped in Gaza, two Palestinian friends in the West Bank hold each other up amid crushing grief.
Indo-Pacific
The investments to counter China and ensure a strong deterrence in the region come to about $8 billion. The House and Senate bills are about the same, with a quarter of the funds used to replenish weapons and ammunition systems that had been provided to Taiwan.
Freking writes for the Associated Press.
Incoming Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te must grapple with an increasingly fraught relationship with China that has edged closer to armed conflict.
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