Joe Biden’s $40 billion Ukraine package gets US Congress approval

The US Congress on Thursday approved a $40 billion package to bolster aid for Ukraine, weeks after President Joe Biden requested an additional $33 billion for the war-torn eastern European country.

While the Senate voted on Thursday to clear the funding bill for Biden’s signature in an 86-11 vote, the House of Representatives had already cleared the mammoth funding bill earlier in a 368-57 vote last week.

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Passage of such funding in the US typically requires bipartisan support in a political landscape that, for the past few years, has been harshly divided.

However, there appeared to be no such divide in the US’ support for Ukraine, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who recently returned from a trip to the war-torn country, went on to emphasize the urgent need for the funding on the Senate floor.

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“Aid for Ukraine goes far beyond charity. he future of America’s security and core strategic interests will be shaped by the outcome of this fight,” McConnell said on Thursday.

“Anyone concerned about the cost of supporting a Ukrainian victory should consider the much larger cost should Ukraine lose,” the Kentucky Republican warned, urging “every senator on both sides to join this bipartisan supermajority.”

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While the bill has enjoyed what can only be called a rare show of bipartisan support, its detractors are not pleased about its toll on the treasury.

Many of those who voted against the bill, largely Republicans, are concerned that the $40 billion price tag is not offset by an incoming revenue, and have also raised questions about the contributions of European countries to Ukraine’s defence in light of the US’ spending on the same.