US Senate overwhelmingly approves Ukraine aid, Biden says he will sign the bill as soon as it reaches his desk (updated)

Last fall, President Joe Biden requested $95 billion in foreign aid, including $60.8 billion for Ukraine, but Congressional Republicans stalled the proposal for six months. This delay weakened Ukraine’s defenses in the war with Russia, allowing Russia to capture territory and increase aerial attacks.

AP reports that the bill, which allocates $95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, passed the Senate with a decisive 79-18 vote late on 23 April (early morning of 24 April in Kyiv), following House approval on 20 April.

In this vote, 31 Republicans joined 48 Democrats to pass the legislation, an increase of nine Republicans from when the Senate last considered the aid package in February, ABC NEWS noted. Two Democrats, Senators Merkley and Welch, along with Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, voted against the legislation, joining 15 Republicans in opposition.

In an interview with AP just before the vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, stated,

“If Congress hadn’t passed the aid, America would have paid a price economically, politically, militarily,” he said, adding, “Very few things we have done have risen to this level of historic importance.”

US Senate advances Ukraine aid bill as Pentagon set to send $ 1 bn package once bill clears Senate and Biden

Biden to sign the bill into law

US President Biden announced in a statement immediately after the bill’s passage that he would sign it on 24 April “as soon as it reaches my desk” and initiate the process of dispatching weapons to Ukraine “this week.”

“Tonight, a bipartisan majority in the Senate joined the House to answer history’s call at this critical inflection point,” Biden said in the statement. “Congress has passed my legislation to strengthen our national security and send a message to the world about the power of American leadership: we stand resolutely for democracy and freedom, and against tyranny and oppression.”

Biden says that the need for the approved aid is urgent: “for Ukraine, facing unrelenting bombardment from Russia; for Israel, which just faced unprecedented attacks from Iran; for refugees and those impacted by conflicts and natural disasters around the world, including in Gaza, Sudan, and Haiti; and for our partners seeking security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.”

US to send military aid

Read also:

• US Senate advances Ukraine aid bill as Pentagon set to send $ 1 bn package once bill clears Senate and Biden
• Much of US military aid for Ukraine is already in Germany and Poland — CNN
• Zelenskyy and Biden discuss enhanced military aid for Ukraine following House vote
• ATACMS to be included in US package, possibly arriving in Ukraine next week – senator
• US assistance approval shows Ukraine won’t be abandoned, Zelenskyy says, urging Senate to ratify the aid
• Crucial $ 61B Ukraine military aid bill heads to US Senate floor 23 April
• US passes long-awaited Ukraine aid package. Here is what it contains
• “Within days” – Pentagon set to quickly send Ukraine arms after US Congress approval