The U.S. Senate passed a $95.3 billion aid package to support Ukraine, Israel, Gaza and the Indo-Pacific.
Passage of the package comes after months of negotiations between Republicans and Democrats.
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement on the Senate passage.
“After months of reckless delays, I’m glad that the Senate has finally passed aid to our partners abroad. Without the loss of a single American or NATO soldier, Ukraine has been able to hold the line in the fight for democracy over autocracy and significantly damage Russia’s military capabilities. Today, we took a major step forward to support that historic effort, prove that America stands by its promises, and put authoritarian leaders across the globe on notice.”
Warner said passage of the aid package “never had to be this way or take this long.”
“I remain profoundly disappointed that some of my colleagues made every attempt to lead us toward historic failure by reneging on our commitments abroad. Despite these efforts, today’s vote shows that we can maintain our commitments to Ukraine and Israel, deliver sorely needed humanitarian aid to Gaza, and deter Chinese aggression by supporting partners across the Indo-Pacific. Getting this across the finish line is one of the most critical strategic imperatives I have witnessed in my time in government — I strongly urge my colleagues in the House to get this done as soon as possible.”
The aid package will provide much needed purchase of U.S.-made defense equipment such as munitions and air defense, as well as $8 billion for the government in Kyiv, Ukraine.
“For us in Ukraine, continued U.S. assistance helps to save human lives from Russian terror,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on social media. “It means that life will continue in our cities and will triumph over war.”
The funding will also provide Israel with $14 billion to fight Hamas, $9.1 billion for humanitarian assistance to Gaza and the West Bank, and $8 billion for Taiwan and Indo-Pacific partners against China.
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Rebecca Barnabi
