With billions in aid for Ukraine
Biden signs US budget
US President Joe Biden has signed his government’s new budget law, which, among other things, provides for billions in aid for Ukraine.
ARCHIVE – Joe Biden, President of the United States, laughs in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. Photo: Susan Walsh/AP/dpa
With his signature yesterday, Biden put into effect the $1.7 trillion budget approved by both chambers of Congress. About half of the budget – almost 858 billion US dollars – is spent on defense. Around 45 billion US dollars have been earmarked for supporting Ukraine.
Passing the budget bill is a win for Biden’s Democrats. The budget provides slightly more support for Ukraine than the President originally requested from the House and Senate. Only on Wednesday last week did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj appeal for further support in an impassioned speech to the US Congress in Washington. “Your money is not charity, it is an investment in global security and democracy, which we will handle in the most responsible way,” Zelenskyi said before both chambers of parliament.
The almost 45 billion US dollars that have now been decided for Ukraine include around 9 billion dollars for military aid and almost 16 billion dollars for economic and humanitarian aid for the country attacked by Russia. In addition, twelve billion dollars are planned to replenish the US military’s ammunition stocks and stores after deliveries to Ukraine. Another $7 billion is earmarked for additional spending by US troops in Europe.
The new budget finances government business until September 2023.
(SDA)